


Tale of Two Kingdoms

by Smolragebaby



Category: Soul Eater
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Child Abuse, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Relationships, Faster paced, Internalized Homophobia, Just remember Crona is technically androgynous in the manga, M/M, Since there isn't a lot for male Crona I thought I would fill that a bit, Slow Build, Starvation, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-08
Updated: 2017-01-14
Packaged: 2018-05-19 00:15:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 26,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5948797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smolragebaby/pseuds/Smolragebaby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two kingdoms are battling to destroy the other. One hides a secret that could turn the war in their favor, but when the weapon is captured by the enemy, what will happen to it?<br/>Important Note: I'm going to revamp this work entirely. If you still like it, I hope you will be able to find it once I get it fleshed out and rewritten to where editing isn't making me want to erase every word.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Unknown Child

**Author's Note:**

> So I have somewhat begun to get a little annoyed with this (not the pairing, just my story). I'm still going to finish it, but a lot of these chapters were written back in 2014 when I had stupid brain. I don't really know exactly how I can go about fixing it so I am just going to continue til the end since I want to finish this before I commit to other multi chapter fanfics I want to write.  
> There is a lot of just straight up telling the reader rather than experiencing it. If I completely finish it, I might go back and do another edit but this would be fixing and rewriting A LOT.  
> Feedback would help a lot.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The citizens of the kingdom by the sea remain unknowing of a secret weapon in development that could change the tide of the 10 year war. But what... or who is it.

_17 years ago, in a kingdom by the sea, a queen announced her pregnancy and the people were filled with joy as news spread through-out the land._

_Long had they hoped for a heir to be bestowed upon their queen and one would soon be born._

_Celebrations and preparations for the child spread across the land as the citizens of this elder empire waited anxiously for the next ruler._

_The queen retired to an estate by the ocean, accompanied by her closest servants._

_Months passed until the queen returned to the main palace with solemn news of the death of the heir._

_The kingdom grieved for the loss and hoped for some day to have another._

_But that was not to be..._

 

_A few years later, the kingdom by the sea waged war against their enemy kingdom, one just beyond the mountains._

_The war became long and bloody, with resources dwindling as both stubbornly refused to surrender._

_This is where the story begins..._

_In the palace in the kingdom by the sea._

 

**Present Times**

 

"I thought I said to have the troops ready by midday!" A blonde women yelled. She slammed her hand on the table in anger, cracking the wood as the men around her shook in fear.

"Y-your majesty. My men are weary from fighting. They need to rest for at least a day if not more." The official said, attempting to shake off the feeling of dread. Swiftly turning her head towards the military leader, she spoke.

"His troops are not resting. We need to be ready for them at all cost. If you all would be training and working with the weapon, we would not be having this talk now would we!?" She scolded her commanding officer, refusing to listen to any excuse he had to offer for the military's lousy training and attitudes. Her attention turned  towards the map laid out with figures of the troops from both sides. In an attempt to calm herself, she became quiet. Running through the situation in her head. 

' _His side has to be tired as well… it isn't possible that they would be able to hold this battle out much longer. Then again that is what we believed five years ago. The research has been slow to find something in order to turn this around. However, if we speed up the weapon's development we might just be able to end this war with a clear victory_.' The women to notice of the location provided by their lookouts and surveyors  ' _His troops went back behind the mountains, which could allow them a few days to resupply and rest. If exhaustion is indeed a problem with my soldiers, then..._ ' A shiver went through the commander's spine as her Majesty looked up towards him. 

"Gather the troops and begin to distribute the resources evenly among the battalions. Check on the factories and food storage, ensure there is enough food for everyone. Allow the soldiers 3 days to rest, no more." Getting up from the table with little regard for any more discussion, the queen entrusted them to enact her demands. She closed the door and heaved a heavy sigh.

' _We can't wait too much long. I highly doubt they would be conducting this kind of research. He is too much of a gentleman for something like this. However, for all we know they could have the same type of research as us._ ' The queen began to walk along the halls until the light ceased to accompany her along her journey, coming to an area mostly left alone except for the two soldiers assigned to guard it. The guards stood straight when she revealed her presence and let her pass without fuss. The queen found her way to a sealed door, taking out an oddly shaped key and placing it in the slot. Opening the door only to be greeted by pitch black darkness.

"Are you going to listen and do what I tell you? This is becoming a nuisance and I am sick of waiting patient for you to grow a spine. Surely you have the stomach to carry out what I have desired of you for months." Her unwavering voice echoing in the blackened domain. Shuffling from one side of the room alerted her of their still living presence until someone began to come out from the darkness. The face containing dark circles under their eyes mixed with a thin, lanky frame draped in the same blackness of the room. They just nodded, too weak to reply.

"Good. Come on." She hissed causing the person flinch, yet they still did what was asked of them. Lifting their feet the best they could, the duo walked back down the same hallway. The person winced when light began to escort them along the crimson floor. Ten minutes of walking proved enough as the two approached a steel door containing a snake and rose seal. The queen opened the door for the being to step inside, numbing themselves to the single lamp within the room. A tinted window towards their left as they positioned themselves behind a thin burgundy line. The loud shut of the steel door failed to shock the single occupant. A voice was heard over head, "I am graciously giving you one final chance, hit the targets like we have instructed you to do and I will order the chef make you your favorite meal."

The temptations was enough to spur them to action, albeit slow from starvation. A little black knife formed in their hand. Lifting it up, they used it to cut their wrist allowing discolored blood to flow down their porcelain palm. Without verbal command, the drops of blood morphed into small thin needle-like objects that flew towards the wooden targets, striking them with enough force to shatter the board and crack the concrete wall behind it. Levers removed the remain splinters from sight. A hatch unlocked, opening a section of the wall. Confusion was all that entered as 3 men were pushed into the room. Wrists tied, eyes blinded, they demanded answers. The noise visibly disturbing the deprived human on the other end of the room. 

' _This is where we had some troubles the last time. It's been ten years, taking a life should be easier by now_.'

"T-too loud." They gripped the side of their head in their hand, grasping to pull lilac strands from their head. Lifting their free hand before pointing at the trio, sending the flying needles into several critical points of their body. The bodies fell to the cold ground, the unforgettable cracking on bone breaking. Blood trickling down their corpses.

The queen spoke into the intercom, "Well done." Grinning triumphantly, the woman made her way in the room.

"That wasn't that hard now was it? Now wipe that pathetic look off your face. The guard will take you back to your room and you will eat in there. Is that understood?" Her hardened gaze piercing down at her test subject.

They nodded and looked up at the queen, hopeful for some form of acknowledgement yet receiving nothing but cold interaction. Quickly averting eye contact, they let lilac hair fall in front of their face as eyes focused on the grey flooring. 

"Guard. Take it back to the room." The subject flinched at the disdain contained within 'it', but they didn't protest for fear of being punished. A singular guard escorted the being back to a different room and, before closing the door, turned on the light with a key. 

"…Are you going to come out yet… and tell me how much of an idiot I am…?" They said, moving to sit on the mildly stiff bed. A few seconds later, a tiny black creature appeared behind them grabbing a fist full of their soft lilac hair.

"You are an idiot. You're the one that got us into that mess, Crona! You should have done what Lady Medusa asked instead of crying like a baby and backing out the first time. We would have been fed days ago! Grow a back bone!" It pulled at Crona's hair and poked their cheek fiercely.

"Do you need to be so mean to me…? I did it… Can't you go one day without hitting me, Ragnarok…?" Crona asked, making little effort in stopping the abuse. This seem to anger the Ragnarok creature and they let go of Crona's hair.

"Says the boy that wears girly dresses!" He pulled the poor boy's cheek.

"Hey! Stop that it hurts. It hurts. It hurts." Crona protested and managed to get Ragnarok to let go.

"They're the only clothes I'm given… what else am I suppose to do?" Crona looked down and held his arms. Ragnarok, seemingly having abused the boy enough, returned to where it had came, leaving Crona alone with his thoughts. It wasn't too long before the door opened again with an elderly maid standing there.

"Your meal." She placed it on the desk. "Leave it by the door when you are finished and someone will come for it later." She left without any further words, only a clicking of a locked door. Crona got up and slowly made his way to the desk and began eating. It was what had been promised to him and he slightly smiled, eating as much as he could before the black gremlin returned.

' _I… I am going to have to kill people… If I do that… Lady Medusa won't be mad at me… then maybe she'll… no… she won't… it's been years and she still hasn't… it's unlikely she'll change anytime soon… but..._ ' his thoughts drifted from place to place. Distracting him enough that he didn't notice when Ragnarok re-emerged and gobbled up the rest of his food.

He wasn't angry...

It was simply _routine_ …

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To contact me (if another way is needed) or see what I have done, here is how to find me.
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](http://smolragebaby.tumblr.com/)  
> [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/smolragebaby/)  
> [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO6UK9RAfnwSHTEw0xWXz_Q)


	2. A Special Task

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Information received changes the plans ever so slightly, but is this a good change...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UPDATE 01/14/2016: I'm editing all of the chapters. It's a slow process, but I will work to create a better story.

_The two kingdoms had always been at odds for generations._

_The fuse was lite when the Queen's troop started occupying the other's land._

_There were chances for negotiations, chances to end this, but all were extinguished when the first shot was fired._

_Neither has offered to end this..._

_The people grow increasingly discomforted by the lack of a clear winner._

_On the other side, the people did not seem to be worried about the war, they believed their troops were going to win in the end, which left a lot of time for festivities and other occasions to be celebrated…._

 

"Your highness! Urgent news from our Central Intelligence Agency!" Medusa slowly turned to the messenger, sending glares towards the informant.

"What's so important that you have to interrupt my peace and quiet!?" She hissed. The messenger stopped, shrinking at her menacing aura. "It's about the King's palace. It appears as though they're getting ready for his son's 18th birthday in a few days. There will be a huge party and mild security. The head of the department thinks we could use this to our advantage." She raised her eyebrow and took the paper from the man. Her eyes skimmed it and she seemed to like whatever she read.

"Tell him that I'm willingly to act on this plan. I may know someone that can now pull this off." She dismissed the man and grinned. 

 

"Crona! Get up!" Medusa viciously yelled into the dimmed room. The boy jolted awake, worried that he had done something wrong. "L-lady Medusa. W-what are you doing here…?" He moved to get closer to the corner as she approached him.

"Since you're making slow progress, sending you out in the battle field is a risk we cannot take for now. However, I found a better task for you." She said with an evil smirk. He looked at her with confusion.

"You'll find out when the details are better organized."

 

**\----A few days later----**

 

In a little cabin outside of the nearby the capital town in enemy borders, a little group gathered around. Crona sat on the bed, still confused and didn't know why he had to do this. The hand selected maids that had been there had spent the last few hours putting an unbearable amount of makeup and fake hair extensions on him in an attempt to make him, what they called, 'attractive'. Ragnarok was making fun of him for it, refusing to calm his anxiety. They had also spent an hour picking out a suitable dress for him to wear. Crona didn't know if this task was special, or supposed to be humiliation and punishment for something he did.

"There. Now you are ready. Remember, when the deed is done, you are to come back here right away and we will sneak back across the border." The head maid  told him. He nodded and gazed at the floor. A carriage had been smuggled in and a butler and guard/spy from royal palace had joined to make Crona stayed in line, on Medusa's orders. Entrusting the child with even this much freedom was a dangerous gamble.

They led him into the carriage with one of the maids, who was lecturing him on proper etiquette for a lady. He listened and looked out the window, which slightly reflected his image. His hair was combed down to a manageable state then made it the same on both sides, with the help of hair extensions. He actually looked decent for the first time in his life, yet it felt bittersweet. As they approached the palace, Crona was amazed by the lights and the number of people that were surrounding the large estate. They cried their happy birthday wishes to the prince. The guilt beginning to wane on him as he recalled Medusa's instructions.

" _Listen to me carefully Crona. This is important. We're sending a small team with you, into the enemy's territory. You will sneak your way inside the palace and hopefully we can make you look even decent enough to attract the prince's eye. Get him alone and when you do, I want you to kill him. With the prince dead, the King will likely seek to end the war and we will win the war. Our country depends entirely on your success of this mission. You wouldn't want to disappoint your queen and mother now would you?_ "

Her voice rang in his head as she called herself 'his mother', sending a chill down his spine. The maid fell quiet when the carriage approached the main stairwell. The woman in front of him gave him a judgmental look as the door opened for him to exit.. Hesitantly, he took in a breath and exited. Seeing the entire palace felt even more breathtaking as a whole. The glittering lights warmly enveloping him while the smell of fresh food enticed him further inside. Pausing at the first step, he looked around. Lovely satin dressed decorated various bodies while his own failed to stand out. Sweating, he took a step up the stairs.

' _You're obvious_.' The next step felt further as his focused shifted to the figures around him. The heels beginning to show their true colors

' _This is not going to work_.' It felt as though their staring was out of his sight. Their judgement and whispers filling his head.

' _Who would ever be attracted to some one like you_.' If they were being like this, then the prince could not possibly fall for him. His hair was an unnatural color, his eyes were took dark to contain any love, his skin looked sickly. He was horrid.

' _They will find me. Lady Medusa will be angry with me. She is going to lock me away and I wont ever leave. Everyone will forget me._ ' The lights seem to dim as his breathing increased. Each step weighing him down before he realized he was at the top, by the door.

He looked around, not seeing anyone who was staring. Inside his head, Ragnarok demanded he get a grip. It did not help him, yet he walked inside.

The inside was significantly more overwhelming than the outside. Tables were scattered around the large room, decorated heavily with various kinds of food. Crona jumped as trumpets sounded majestically, alerting him of another presence entering the room. The guests all bowed with Crona doing his best to copy their actions. 

A man, clocked in black and wearing a skull shaped mask, and a teenager with a black suit and three peculiar white strips in his pitch black hair, stood at the top of the stair case. He raised his hand and everyone stood up.

"Hello everybody! Thank you for finding time to make it to my son's 18th birthday. Please eat and drink as much as you like and have a wonderful time." The man, presumably the King, spoke. Crona was slightly put off by his rather friendly demeanor and tone of voice. He only ever heard harshness from the people he had encountered and he hadn't expected any different here. The music started up when the prince walked down the stairs only to be immediately surrounded by other nobles and their beautiful dressed daughters. Crona did not dare to get close to the crowd.

'Why me. I'm... I'm so... plain... I dont understand." He looked away. 

Nearby was one of the tables filled with food. This mission was important, but his stomach did not agree. It growled, yearning to try. He stayed frozen in place.

"You know you can eat if you want." Crona jumped as a voice came from behind him. Turning around only to see a girl wearing a black and white outfit, similar to the maids in Lady Medusa's castle, with her pale blonde hair up in pig tails.

"I'm sorry to scare you. Are you alright?" She said. Crona took a step back.

"Is something wrong, miss?" She asked. He shook his head, slightly shaking a bit. She came close and set a calming hand on his shoulder, smiling gently at him. He was unsure why but he seemed to become calm from that touch and returned the soft smile.

"If you're hungry miss… uh… What's your name?" She questioned, not enjoying be so informal.

"C-Crona…" he whispered in a soft voice ' _Should I have told her my name... What if... But no one here will know of me... It shouldn't be that bad._..' .  

"Well Crona, please eat as much as you want. There is plenty of food. If you need anything, you can ask for me. My name is Maka, alright." Her head turned as she heard someone calling for her.

"I have to go. Have a nice time here." She quickly made her leave and Crona got a little plate that was on the table and got a little bit of food. Taking a bite, he felt it melt in his mouth. The warm texture ran along his tongue welcoming him to this elegant lifestyle. Settling in with a little bit more food, he quietly ate and glanced towards where the prince was. The nobles were all introducing their daughters to him and he smiled, politely kissing each of the fair lady's hands. 

Crona did not realize he was still staring. The prince's black hair framed his face gently, as if scared to ruin his face. It was odd to see the three strips in his hair, but felt a pang in his heart.

'He has weird hair like me...' The staring seem to felt as the prince looked around, only turning to make contact with the simply dress 17-year-old. A blush dusted his cheeks and he looked away from the royal. Regardless of his mission, gaining the attention and interacting with another human being was still foreign to him.

A few moments later, a slight cough startled him. He found the source to the prince, who had come to be only a few inches away. Being closer to him allowed the younger to take in more of his features. The prince's eyes grabbed his attention first. The sun captured in those golden eyes, held to forever shine brightly towards those honored enough to see him in person like this. 

"Hello young lady. Are you having a nice time here?" He took Crona's hand, snapping the lilac haired boy out of his trance in order to pull his hand away. The prince was confused by the action, "Are you alright?" Crona shied away a bit, nerves seeking to destroy the plan Medusa so carefully plotted out.

"S-sorry… I- I just… I'm not used to these kinds of events…" He managed to say, glancing at the floor.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. Can I at least know your name?" He asked rather sweetly, changing his voice in order to ease the other.

"My-My name is... Crona…" he hesitantly informed the teen.

"Crona… That's a unique name ." He smiled and held out his hand.

"Crona, would you do me the honor of letting me dance with you?" Crona looked at him, hesitant, but knew he was going to have to if he wanted to get the teen to like him. He cautiously reached out, accepting the other's hand. With a gentle tug, he was pulled to the dance floor. Like the maids had taught him, Crona set a hand on the prince's shoulder and the other stayed in his hand. A hand snaked around his waist, leaving Crona tense and staring at teen. Crona was slightly taller, thanks to the heels, but that didn't seem to be a bother.

"Wait… I-I don't really know how to dance." Crona muttered. "That's fine, I'll teach you right as the music plays. It's not that hard. You can call me Kid, by the way." Kid seemed helpful and non-judgmental as the two glided along the polished marble floor. When he messed up, Crona flinched, only to receive a soft smile and some advice. By the end of the seemingly unending song, pale shoulders relaxed and Kid readily offered a second dance. It was accepted. People watched the two, many wondering who the person dancing with the prince could be while some were slightly jealous. Crona was growing more and more comfortable, his face was still red from blushing. Kid smiled at him and the two seemed to be lost with each other, hardly noticing when the music stopped and ended. His mission soon became the farthest thing from his mind. They eventually stopped, but failed to break the hold on each other.

"Come with me." Kid asked gently. Crona agreed, slightly wondering if the boy was honestly beginning to like him and if he was really worth something. The two made their way out of the large crowd and into a quiet hallway.

"You don't seem to be from around here. Where are you from?" He asked as the two of them walked down the hallway, a guard trailing far behind them as usual. Crona was a little tense from him being back there and didn't know what to say in regards to the question. "I'm… from a really faraway place… I don't know where it is exactly…." Crona was trying to tiptoe around answering. Kid didn't press for more and proceeded down the hall, slightly eyeing the guard to stay further behind. "You're a very beautiful girl, I hope you know that." Crona looked at him.

' _He… He thinks… I'm beautiful… But… He thinks I'm a girl… and all this is fake… if he knew who is really was… or what I am… he'd give me the same look… but maybe.._ ' Crona was lost in self-doubt when Kid set a gentle hand on his cheek and pressed a chaste kiss on pale pink lips.

Crona's thought bubble burst and he pulled away. "W-What was that?" When he recalled what happened, it began to make his stomach warm. He could hear Ragnarok within his mind yelling at him for messing up the plan.

Kid apologized for doing that without warning. "I'm sorry. I should have asked you first before I kissed you. I didn't mean anything bad by it." Crona looked at him, the blush spreading.

"C-Could you do that again… please..." Kid looked at him and nodded. He took a step closer and gently planted his lips back onto Crona's. He felt his face warm up, his heart speeding up too. Ragnarok's yelling seem to become silent and Crona moved closer setting his hands on Kid's shoulders. He didn't know what this feeling was, but he kind of enjoyed it. It was different than how he usually felt. It was warm. Kid broke the kiss and the two walked further down the hall to a room.

Kid opened the door and let Crona inside. Crona looked inside, amazed that anyone could own this much. Compared to his room, this was wonderfully spacious and nicely decorated. Kid closed the door behind him, leaving Crona in there with him. Crona turned toward him, unsure of what he was going to do, until Kid came up to him and kissed him again. Crona closed his eyes and gently kissed back, not knowing if he was doing this right, but trying his best. Kid didn't part from him as they slowly made their way to the bed. Crona fell back on the bed taking Kid down with him, ending up with Kid lying next to him while the two continued. He did not plan to push his luck and scare Crona away. Silence was met simply by the sound of breathlessness. All thought of what Crona was supposed to accomplish fluttered away, only to be replaced by this feeling of momentary happiness and warmth.

' _Warm... Is this a dream... It has to be... Maybe I passed out... But I dont want this to end... If I is a dream... I never want to wake up again._ '

The soft pecks started to turn into rough prolonged kisses as the two pulled each other closer. Kid eventually moved to where he was on top and holding himself up with his arms. Crona didn't know where he was getting the ideas to do what he was doing, they almost came naturally. The two parted in order to order to breathe, both visibly red. They had barely gotten enough air before returning to each other. Kid licked Crona's bottom lip and he lightly opened his mouth to let Kid do what he wanted. His tongue slowly entered Crona's mouth and began to explore every inch he possibly could. Crona couldn't help but moan at the wet intrusion and wrapped his arms around Kid, deepening the experience. He wanted more, he want to be selfish and demand more. This might be the only time he would be allowed to have affection such as this. 

Kid pulled away and looked down at the figure beneath him. Stroking Crona's cheek, Kid kissed along his jaw and down his pale neck, earning him weak mewls. Crona was too preoccupied by the new sensations to feel Kid's other hand starting to lift part of the dress to feel his legs. They were relatively smooth and his skin was unbelievably soft. Crona tried getting his heels off, finding them useless and uncomfortable and they hit the floor with a light thud. When Kid pulled away to let Crona return to Earth. The younger felt the hand that was wondering up his leg and he quickly went to move.

"Is something wrong? I can stop, I'm sorry if that was uncomfortable for you." Kid told him, worrying that he had scared the girl by going too far.

"No. It's not that… But... I…. I should tell you something first…" Crona looked away and started hearing Ragnarok bombard his thoughts again, telling him to shut up and stop growing a conscience.

"What do you need to tell me? If it's something bad I'll help you and fix whatever is troubling you." Kid seemed genuinely willing to help. He inched closer to Crona.

'I have to tell him... I can't just let this continue... but if he hates me... we did just meet... and he is expecting a girl... I...'

"You can't fix this. Kid… I- I'm a… a… boy…." Crona looked at him to see his expression and in one of his hands, a knife started to form with Ragnarok yelling at him to hurry up and finish this, but he just shied away from the other teenager. Kid's face looked so hurt and changed to something resembling anger, "You're a guy!?" Crona looked away, knowing that he wouldn't be able to kill Kid, he had started to grow attached to the warmth and fuzzy feeling he had been getting, even under a lie.

"I'm sorry… I shouldn't have tricked you… but… she asked me to do this… I can't say no…" He let go of the knife and it disappeared. "You were the first person to treat me like this… and I just… I wanted to know what is was like… but you needed to know… before anything else happened… I understand if you dislike me now… Everyone does…" He looked at Kid, but none of what he said changed the judgmental and upset expression. His eyes started to well up with pent up tears and covered his mouth and moved off the bed rather quickly. Kid moved to try and cut him off, but Crona managed to get away from him and run out the door into the hallway. He didn't know which way to go, but he ran.

'This was a mistake. I shouldn't have to done this. I shouldn't have come. I should have said no... But...' within second Ragnarok popped out.

"Get back there Crona! Finish him!" He yelled. "Go away Ragnarok! Just help me get out of here!" Crona yelled back, the first time he ever stood up for himself. Ragnarok pulled on the hair extensions, "You are pathetic! Letting something like stupid feelings get in the way of this. I'm not helping you when Medusa finds out!" It disappeared as Crona ran through the halls trying to find a window or a door that could lead outside. He heard Kid running after him and calling out to him. He passed a guard when he turned the corner, who just looked at him in confusion. Kid started yelling at the guard and he joined the chase.

'There has to be a window somewhere. There.' He ran up to a window and tried opening, looking at the window and back at the two people catching up. He managed to open it wide and was stood there before jumping out. The guard and Kid got to the window and looked out the window. Crona was just flying the with a pair of oddly shaped black wings. He looked at Kid, with a tear stained face before flying off quickly. He wouldn't stop crying as he flew off. He found the cabin and stood outside. They all came out and started pestering him if he had done it, but he didn't reply to any of them.

Ragnarok came out and told them all of his failure. They all went back inside, locking Crona out. He sat on the small stairs and wiped of the makeup that had come off from his tears before cuddling up. He somehow managed to get a little of sleep before being rudely woken up by the maids. They harshly washed the makeup off and pulled out the hair extensions rather painfully. They let him change before the small group headed on the way back to Medusa's palace, none wishing to face the fate that surely awaited them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To contact me (if another way is needed) or see what I have done, here is how to find me.
> 
> [Tumblr](http://smolragebaby.tumblr.com/)   
>  [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/smolragebaby/)   
>  [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO6UK9RAfnwSHTEw0xWXz_Q)


	3. Rewards and Punishment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: Child Abuse  
> Edited: 03/09/17

Chapter 3: Rewards and Punishments

_No one knew of the lilac child hidden away in the blackened area of the castle._

_Most servants didn't know who he was much less why he was there._

_She didn't care for him, dumping him upon the maids and turning her back on him._

_He was **lonely**._

_Always **alone**._

_No one would ever understand how he felt, not even the one that brought him momentary warmth._

_He was **alone**..._

_Always **Alone**..._

The journey back had been disturbingly silent. Even the wind refused to make a sound. The few servants assigned to watch the boy refused to offer assistance. He had to walk on foot while the rest could ride the horse. They berated him for slowly down as the teenager's feet cried out in agony. The food given to him was minimal, just enough to ensure that the thin boy didn't starve. Ragnarok berated him within his own mind. Crona couldn't even be safe there.

The days dragged on the small group took a route formerly used by smugglers and pirates, yet that made the trip feel long. The amount of time it took to return was unknown. Crona kept his eyes plastered to the ground, following the hooves of the horse or feet of the people in front of him. The maid ushered him through a back entrance. The castle staff knew little of the boy and Medusa preferred to keep it that way. That didn't stop servants from spreading stories, coming up with their own twisted tales about him. 

Walking through the bright halls, they made it to a lavish door. One knocked and Medusa's voice could be heard, allowing them to enter. The butler opened it, waiting for the group to step in first. However, that was no their plans. Grabbing the child, they pushed him into the room and left him to deal with the full aftermath of his failure. He tripped on his way in, landing on his knees. 

The aura in the room only disturbed Crona. He could feel her presence inching closer to him and the atmosphere seemed hellbent on suffocating him where he knelt.

"Did you do it?" She asked sternly, prepared for a positive response. He stare at the floor, trying to find what little courage he had left to tell her. He couldn't do it and looked up at her with a worried expression.

"I…" the words were caught in his throat, chocking him. The pain in his back only worsened his anxiety. Ragnarok wasted little time with him, grabbing a fistful of greasy lilac hair and pushing his face to the cold floor.

"This wimp was too much of coward! He chickened out at the last minute and almost got himself caught!" Crona froze as Ragnarok spilled everything he didn't want to say. When the black bodied creature had finished his tirade, it returned to dwelling withing the boy's veins.

There was only silence and Crona didn't dare look up to see the expression that the Queen dare give him. The last thing he heard was Medusa saying that he failed before being flung harshly into wall, knocking the wind out of him. His body moved again hitting what felt like a wardrobe to the point he almost broke it. He couldn't focus on what Medusa was yelling at him, the fear taking control and he wanted to get away. He was getting sent to various parts of the room roughly, to the point of breaking the objects he landed on. He was sent to a corner before black arrows pointed at him, only centimeters from vital organs and his throat. They started to retract to their source and Medusa walked over, grabbing him by the hair and dragging him down the hall. He was crying and kicking trying desperately to get her to let go. He was unable to and she opened the door to his room, throwing him in there before locking the door.

He couldn't get up, his body too sore from hitting the variety of hard surfaces. He had lain there wondering if he was going to be in here forever.

'Why was I born... if only to suffer... no... I deserve this... I deserve this for simply being alive..."

 

* * *

 

 

Hours...

Days...

Months...

He was unsure how long he had been locked away. The skin on his lips slightly peeled. Maybe they lost the war and no one would find him since the palace was abandoned. All he could do was make speculations as he lay there, hungry and craving something to quiet his growling stomach.

He barely twitched as the lock was undone and a soldier stood there looking down at him. Crona's vision was blurry, so he couldn't make out the insignia on his armor but the person picked him up rather harshly and took him outside to a wagon that had other loaded supplies on it. He was placed in the back with a few other soldiers who were assigned to keep the food and other materials. Barely being able to sit himself up, the boy blinked a few times.

With his vision becoming slightly more aligned he noticed the Queen's symbol on their armor, meaning they were still part of the war.

"Wh-what's going on…?" He asked. His voice, dry and the question was barely audible to all but the closest two.

The two looked at each other and didn't see any harm in telling him. "We are delivering supplies to the camp. The Queen also said that would be getting an extra hand. Didn't think she meant some scrawny kid like you." The man next to him elbowed him hard before giving Crona a loaf of bread, with some kind of berry jam on it, and a cup with water. The starved boy wasted no time eating what was presented before Ragnarok could come out and snatch it. The two looked surprised, seeing as the bread wasn't the best tasting in the world. The wagon lurched forward, sending Crona forward with it and he hit the ground, but sat up quickly to move back against the side.

The soldiers had no idea why such a skinny boy was being sent with them in his condition, but they wished not to be punished for voicing concern for the child. The wagon left and Crona looked back at the palace. He had never paid attention when he got to leave, but the palace was rather large and slightly foreboding to him. Lady Medusa most likely never wanted to see him again and punished him by sending out to the front lines. He didn't want to confirm his suspicions and curled up in the corner of the wagon for the whole trip.

 

* * *

 

 

He couldn't tell how long it took to get there, but the sun was setting, if that was any clue. The supplies in the front was unload and the soldiers led Crona out of the wagon and down to a dirt path.

The camp was expansive. The tents seemed to be sturdy and soldiers were orderly. It wouldn't have looked like an army encampment if one didn't see the armor and weapons. Crona didn't put up a fight as he was led to a rather large, decorated tent. A soldier went inside briefly before pulling Crona inside as well. The teen looked confused and bewildered as the inside looked bigger than the outside. It was equipped with a bed, a desk and a large table with several chairs. The man sitting behind the desk had a dark complexion matching the dark expression he wore on his face. His hair was black and he looked at Crona in anger yet slight fascination due to what information he knew of the boy.

The two soldiers handcuffed Crona's hands, to prevent him from attacking the man, though Crona was too scared to try something like that. They left and the man walked over to Crona, examining him. He ran a hand through his hair, grabbed the sides of his face to turn his hard and circled him like a vulture. The aura he emitted reminding the lilac boy of Lady Medusa.

"They told you why you're here?" The mans rough voice questioned. Crona lightly shook his head staring at the man and unsure what he was going to do to him.

He sighed in frustration. 

"For years, we have been researching weapons to use in order to turn the war in our favor. We discovered a substance that acted weapon like and could be implanted in other human beings. However, almost all of the other test subjects could not handle it, except for you. For some reason, you are able to withstand it. Some pathetic little wimp." Crona flinched slightly.

"As the only success, they attempted to harden your resolve to kill. She has sent me files about how resistant you were to the entire thing. So let me make something quite clear. You will go out and use your abilities to kill our enemies. If you disobey me, I will not hesitate to torture you until you learn to listen." 

Dark navy eyes shook as each word was punctuated inside of his mind. What could he do…? If he denied then he died… but if he agreed then so many more would die. He hardly had much of a choice, so he kept quiet and didn't answer, which earned him an angered scowl. The man slapped him before kicking the boy to the ground. Crona attempted not to make a noise of discomfort and lied there as the man went back to the desk. He didn't dare to get up, not even when another soldier came in. He just felt too broken to do anything.

Eventually he was moved over to a corner and stayed there occasionally looking up if someone entered before going back and writing in the dirt with his finger.

He eventually was lulled to sleep.

 

* * *

 

 

Crona was startled awake by the panicked cries of soldiers.

When he sat up, a soldier came in. "General! They're here!"

The man, apparently a general in rank, growled a little before going over to Crona, undoing the cuffs. "This is your time." He looked down and dragged Crona off to where the soldiers were lining up. Before turning to Crona, "Listen to me. You're going to go onto the battlefield and you will kill the enemy. If you don't I will not hesitate to kill you along with them. Is that clear?" Crona nodded hastily.

The general dragged him out with the other soldiers. They moved out of the way and the general shoved the boy in front of the large group. Hesitantly turning, he could somewhat make out a line of soldiers along with some devices in between them. 

Crona felt his knees freeze, 'How am I supposed to take care of this!?'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How to find me  
> [Tumblr](http://smolragebaby.tumblr.com/)  
> [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/smolragebaby/)  
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> Also on Anime/Cosplay/Art/Drawing/Fanart/Fanfiction/Soul Eater/Pokemon Amino


	4. Captured

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited 05/08/17  
> -Goes by a bit faster

Crona stood on the battlefield looking out at the army that had started to approach from the mountains. The Queen's army had sent him out there alone without any hope of protecting himself save for Ragnarok who didn't usually help him out anyway.

The opposing army's cannons started to fire, but not flying far enough to hit near Crona. He shook from the vibrations of the ground, falling down, trying to scurry back only to be shot at by the other soldiers and ordered to turn back and attack. 'I-I don't think I can deal with this situation!' He thought as he hesitantly turned.

Crona just looked at the army continuing their advance until a cannon ball hit almost 8 feet away from him sending him flying in the other direction from the sheer force of it's impact. He was dizzy for a second and noticed he was bleeding. The ringing in his hears disoriented him. The world split in two and Crona felt himself doing the same. He started to chuckle a little bit. A large sword started to form in his right hand as he lifted himself up from the ground.

" **Did you know my blood is black…**?" An uneasy aura filled the battlefield as the sword was raised into the air.

He turned slowly, laughing. " **Ragnarok**... **_Screaming Resonance_.** " There was a tense pause before a high pitched scream reverberated in the air. All soldiers had their ears covered, hoping to relieve the pain.

" ** _Screech… Alpha._** " With a horizontal swing of the sword a clean cut was made. For a second it was eerily silent, until blood began fly through the air from the decapitated bodies of the front lines. Blood poured like rain onto the other soldiers and they were unsure what to do now. Crona just laughed a bit and started walking towards his next targets.

The cannons started to fire again but weren't landing anywhere near where Crona was. The blood ran down his cheek and wrist. " ** _Bloody Needle…_** " The blood drops turned to individual needles flying toward the impending army. They scrambled around as men next to them were cut down, each needle hitting a vital point in the body. The sickening smell of red bodily fluid ran rampant on their side of the battlefield. Only then did the Queen's army see fit to charge ahead. Some bumped into Crona, but he was already growing dizzy from how much blood he had used with that attack. With his job seemingly over, he let the darkness envelope him.

_______

 

The Queen's camp was rambunctious with the sounds of drunken excitement. This was the first solid victory after the years of a stalemate. Crona had barely woken up when people were crowding around him. He shook a bit, not knowing what to do, but they gave him words of praise at what he had done. They had even given him a fair chunk of food which he silently ate. Ragnarok was given his own food though it didn't stop him from taking some of Crona's.

Other than that, Ragnarok wasn't being mean to him, he didn't even poke his cheek, though Crona didn't mind the lack of abuse.

"Hey Ragnarok…" Crona said. Ragnarok turned from his food to look at the boy. "D-Do you think Lady Medusa will be nice to me now…" Crona knew it was stupid for him to ask but he needed to hear something, some ray of hope. Ragnarok swallowed, "How the hell am I supposed to know!? Though you didn't fuck up this time, so she might." He returned to the rest of his food. Crona just looked back at his food and ate a little bit.

'I hope she does… but is... was that the right thing to do... what if...what if those people had families... and they never get to see them again...' He set down the forked questioning his actions. 'This is what I was made to do... This is what she wants me to do... but... I dont...' His mind drifted before a female voice echoed through his head. 'Be who you want. I believe you can.' He quickly shook his head, ridding himself of the thought. Eating what he had left, he set the plate down and got up. His legs still felt weak and despite the blast affecting him, the doctor had cleared him of any permanent injuries. 

He was given his own bed to sleep on, finding it easy to sleep on as it was barely more comfortable than his own. 

In spite of the frivolity, Crona managed to lull himself to sleep.

 

_____

 

For the next few days, the Queen's army managed to push the others back and were finally starting to make it through the mountains. The path was narrow and not easy to navigate in larger squads, so they split into small groups in order to make it through. Crona was put in the first group in order to clear an obstacles that might come at them. The soldiers seemed to be okay with him being there and he tried to keep up with them. He looked around at the mountains. A black blur dashed out of the corner of his eye. He turned towards said area. "Um… I-I think saw something up there…" The soldiers turned to look as well, but found nothing and kept going. Crona felt uneasy and slowed a bit.

They had made it a few feet before an explosion occurred in the rocky walls on each side. Some rocks came down, crushing some soldiers underneath. Crona was still in disarray from the high pitch noise caused by the explosion and held his ears, not able to hear his own thoughts or Ragnarok's. Foreign soldiers came down from above. Crona barely had time to react when he heard the sounds of fighting and someone held a knife on his throat with his back against the mountain. He was shaking as he watched the other soldiers get cut down around him along with the next group were further behind.

Crona tried to move but was punched, rather harshly in the gut by the one holding the knife to him. Even with his blood harden, the punch hurt a lot more than it should have.

"You're coming with us." All he knew was everything started to turn black as he felt someone grab him and pick him up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To contact me or see what else I have done, here are the links to my other social media 
> 
> [Tumblr](http://smolragebaby.tumblr.com/)   
>  [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/smolragebaby/)   
>  [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO6UK9RAfnwSHTEw0xWXz_Q)


	5. Prisoner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited 05/08/17

All that could be heard were the muffled sounds of people or the slight rattling of chains when he tried to move. 'W-where am I…?' he slowly opened his eyes. The previous black image began to separate into colors and light, still fairly blurry.

Crona sat up and felt his wrists wrapped in something cold and hard. He jolted up and looked around. There were people in the streets staring at him, glaring at him, like he was disfigured or a monster. He didn't know how to handle this, along with Ragnarok's inner monologue adding to the pent up uneasiness. He was on an open horse-drawn wagon, inside a slightly small cage.

"You better keep your face down unless you want all these people to see how much of a small uh- guy you are." A voice spoke up. Crona looked behind him, where the voice resonated from, to see a boy with blue hair staring back at him, along with a taller black haired woman. "It's hard to believe that such a small guy like you did a lot of damage to our army. But you're still not match for me!" Crona crept slowly away from the person, mainly because he was incredibly loud and it made him uncomfortable.

"Blackstar! Be quiet," the woman spoke up. She easily made her way over to the edge of the cage. "I'm sorry about him. Here you should eat something, you've been out for at least two days so you must be hungry." She softly smiled, trying to get Crona to come back over. He hesitantly inched forward and took the bread that was on the little tray she had, nibbling at it.

'I-If I've been out for two days that means… OH NO L-Lady Medusa. S-She probably knows. What am I going to do!? She's going to lock me up again and I don't think I can deal with that!?' His hands started to noticeably shake and he dropped the bread while he panicked.

"Hey is something wrong? You need to eat." She said trying to reach for the bread. He quickly moved to the bars of the cage. "I-I need to get out of here! Please. She is going to be mad. She's going be even more disappointed in me! Please!" Crona was almost ready to cry and trying to use his limited strength to do something to the bars.

Blackstar came over and pulled his partner away quickly.. Crona didn't get to regret the decision until his world was plunged into the darkness by the lad.

 

\-----

 

'How long has it been since I was awake… minutes… hours… days… Has Lady Medusa come for me yet…? Am I already back…?' The sounds of people chatting away surrounded him as he returned to the colorful world around him. He sat up and all went silent, with the people staring at him again. He tried his best to shrink, but all attempts failed. He looked around at the bright room. Colors swirled around on the ceilings and draped the walls with their elegant patterns. The people dressed rather lavishly, nothing like anyone back at Lady Medusa's palace, which only meant...

Crona's eyes widened and he started inching back, slowly as he looked ahead at the two seat figures. One was taller and seemed slightly menacing, but Crona's eyes fell on the figure to the man's left. The Prince, Death the Kid, was staring back at him, his golden eyes completely cold. Crona backed up to the edge of the cage as far he could. When his back hit the metal bars, something pushed him forward, away from them. 'No. Why does it have to be here? Please anywhere but here.' The noise started up again and people were talking about him, calling him a monster or referring to him as 'it'. The loud racket was quieted by Lord Death's hand. He stood up.

"Well. I guess the real discussion to be had here is what are we going to do with it?" He questioned.

_"Kill it!"_

_"No! That's too easy! Let the scientists have at him!"_

_"They can do that once he isn't a threat!_ " The lilac haired boy shook, understanding each valid possibility for his future. Breathing quacked, hands shook, his head raced almost as his face as his head did. It suddenly stopped as his gaze rested upon a younger girl standing off by the wall. He stared at her and whispered, "M-Maka…"

Maka looked right back, remembering the same shade of hair and the slightly smaller yet tall frame. The pieces slightly clicked, but she wasn't able to move from her spot, despite his eyes pleading for some sort of help.

Crona was unable to handle the words they were calling him. 'Stop... please I can't take it anymore... All of you...' 

 _"KILL." "IT" EXPERIMENT" "MONSTER"_ Each word sunk further into his mind and he questioned who was the source of some of them. Them. His mother. Ragnarok. Himself. He couldn't tell. His brain cluttered and the dam walls exploded. 

"EVERYONE BE QUIET!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. Salty tears sprang from his eyes and he couldn't contain any of the pent of emotions anymore.

"I DONT WANT TO BE A MONSTER. I'M NOT A MONSTER. I AM DOING WHAT IS TOLD OF ME. FOR HER. SHE WANTS ME TO BE LIKE THIS AND I WANT HER TO ACCEPT ME! I JUST WANT HER TO ACCEPT ME!" Droplets hit the metal floor by his knees and he was shaking horribly. "I just... want to be loved... I dont... I don't like being this..."

With the shock of everyone in the room, Maka quickly made her way over to the cage.

"Maka! Get away from there now!" Someone yelled, but she refused to listen. Her hand slowly reached through the bars and Crona stared at her before he rushed to take her hand tightly. She softly smiled as he continued to cry.

The silence was broken yet again by soldiers moving the cage. Crona didn't want to let go Maka's comforting hand, but it was forced away by a soldier. She looked at him and whispered, "I'll help you…" before she turned to Lord Death and Kid with determined eyes. The cage was led away and all Crona could do was keep some thin amount of hope that her words were true. 

"Lord Death. If any of what she said got into you, please don't be too harsh on her. Let me take care of her. She's obviously scared." Maka requested to the bewilderment of the crowd. Kid glared, but he couldn't say anything as the crowd started to voice their opinions.

"It's a monster! You can't hope to help it now." One person spoke up. Maka looked at them. "You're not going to get anywhere if you keep calling her a monster." She turned back to Lord Death with a fire in her eyes. "Give me time with her. Give me a chance to prove she isn't the monster everyone thinks she is." The crowd turned towards their leader, hoping he had the reason to reject her proposal. 

He got up from the chair and came down to her. "Will you come with me, Maka? The rest of you are dismissed." The two made their way out the door while the crowd started to hesitantly disperse.

'He can't honestly be serious.' Kid got up from his throne to follow the pair. 'She is going to get herself killed.' He attempted to find where the duo had gone, but lost them...

 

* * *

 

 

The nicely decorated walls turned into rough stones. Maka hadn't remembered seeing this area of the palace before. "Are you really determined to help her?" He asked. Maka was caught a little off guard but nodded. "Then I shall let you take care of her. If you can help her enough to where she is no longer threatening to this place." He said. Maka smiled brightly, "Thank you so much!" 

"However, I want her under the watch of the guards for the time being until the chaos dies down. If she presents any danger to the staff, guards or you, then I am having her moved to the tower to await trial. Is that a reasonable agreement?" Maka took a breath. "Yes, Lord Death." They walked down alongside stones, the faint whimpering sounds growing louder until they made their way to a cage where Crona was trembling in the corner.

"Can I go in, please?" The guards seemed tensed about letting her in, but Lord Death calmed them and they opened the door. Crona lifted his head to see her and quickly got up. "M-Maka… You came." Relief spilled over his face and she came over to him. "I'm here to help. If you'll let me?" She spoke softly. He was about to speak when the slight pain in his back started and Ragnarok emerged. The guards quickly rushed in, spooked by this and pointed their weapons at him. Crona tensed as Ragnarok started talking, only making the situation worse. "Why would we want help from a pathetic little girl like you!? The only thing Crona is good for is a punching bag." Ragnarok pulled a fistful of the lilac hair rather harshly. "Hey, stop pulling on my hair. It's already uneven and I can't deal with it getting even more like hers than it already is." Crona stated. The strange interaction and presence were unnerving. 

Lord Death entered the cage and seemed to examine the boy. "You can put your weapons down." The guards looked at him as if he was crazy, but followed orders regardless of personal opinions. Maka tried to help, but Ragnarok wouldn't let her get any close. "This is none of your business, girl!" He yelled. Crona was getting noticeably frustrated with this. He arm swung up, punching Ragnarok to everyone's surprise. "Stop it! I can't deal with this!" He cried. There was a silence before Ragnarok looked at him. "Do you have any idea how much that hurts!?"

"No I don't. Just Go away…" The frustration, along with the courage that had come with it, whisked away before Ragnarok retreated back, where he could easily just yell at Crona in his own mind. Maka stared at him with every intention of asking about that later. "Well. Well. That was certainly unexpected. Why don't we all relax? Guards come with me, Maka stay as long as you want. Just remember to bring… Crona… food and other things she needs." Crona looked at him slightly confused at the 'she' pronoun, but didn't make any move to correct Lord Death as he left with the guards for a short moment.

Maka moved next to Crona and asked him to sit down. "Will you please explain what that was?" She had to tread carefully with asking questions due to the obvious emotional instability plaguing the person in front of her. "It's… a long story… and I... would rather not talk about it..." Crona looked at the ground and she accepted the answer before coming closer to the sitting individual and hugging him. The tension in his shoulders eased and the boy moved to be able to rest. 

Maka stayed until he fell asleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr](http://smolragebaby.tumblr.com/)   
>  [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/smolragebaby/)   
>  [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO6UK9RAfnwSHTEw0xWXz_Q)


	6. Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited 05/08/17

 

A few days had passed since Crona was taken to the castle yet it still failed to ease his mind. His thoughts constantly drifting to Medusa and if she had been informed of his disappearance. When Maka wasn't around, he had a hard time even asking for anything from the guards much less looking at them. Worries plagued him that he could have killed some of their friends or even family. He couldn't understand why Lord Death had even allowed Maka to be a part of his life. 'It could be a trick... what... what if they're just tricking me and they're just going to kill me... or send me somewhere that I will never know of...' The cell acted as the constant reminder of his wrongdoings. 

He didn't like being in the cell, but Maka would bring him things to occupy his time along with helping him better his limited reading ability. She had tried to bring him clothes, dresses mainly, and even though he didn't mind wearing them, he told her he didn't want to wear them. When she asked, he confessed he was male. The shocked face turned to understanding. 

 

* * *

 

 

A week and a half had passed since Crona's capture, Maka entered the cell with a book and a somber expression.

"Are you okay, Maka?" He asked, wondering if she had been hurt. She shook her head, sitting down, "Lord Death wants you to come to dinner tonight." Crona looked confused, like it was a joke. "M-Me? Why? Did I do something wrong?" All these scenarios kept running through his head.

Had he not been behaving correctly?  

Did the guards think his actions were threatening, even though he hardly spoke to them?

Did he accidentally say something?

The thoughts raced in his head. Maka set a hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry. He is a lot nicer that he appears to be and he just wants to talk with you. I'll be there with you if you feel uncomfortable or need to leave." He looked at her smiling face and nodded.

"We will need to find you some better clothes for you to wear." Maka looked through the clothes she had already brought him, but didn't think any of them looked well enough for a dinner with the King. Crona sat there and trusted her to make the decision on what he should wear.

After having to leave to find something, she came back with something a little more formal and nice but wouldn't make Crona uncomfortable if he wore it. She let Crona change before coming back in to brush his hair. She had offered to cut it, but Crona stated he was fine with it the way it was.

He hadn't been able to leave the cage the entire time so walking down the elegant halls was nerve-racking and he wouldn't come out from behind Maka as they walked. She tried to be encouraging, but that didn't seem to help the poor boy.

They made it to the dining room door and Maka turned to him, "I'll be right behind you okay." Crona took a deep breathe, trying to calm down, but when the doors opened, all the color drained from his face.

Sitting at the large table were a group of people that he hadn't expected and at the end table was Lord Death and Kid. Crona didn't know where to sit but he already didn't like this situation at all. Maka gave him a little shove and he stumbled inside his left hand holding his right arm in a small attempt to comfort and shield himself from this. Maka could see he was uneasy and helped him over where she had him sit to the left of Lord Death and thus across from Kid, the spot he didn't want to be. The people around him, other than the King, were moving away from him and he just lowered his head to avoid looking at everyone.

The awkward tension in the air dissipated when Lord Death started to talk, "Be nice everyone. Crona is improving according to Maka so you don't have much to be afraid of." Crona glanced over at him and felt a little better, but it didn't stop him from avoiding eye contact with everyone else. Everything was new to him and he was being judged for things he didn't even know like table manners. He was still confused by the multiple spoons, knives and forks laid out in front of him. He felt so overwhelmed and had no clue what to do, say, or act like.

Maka, along with other people that usually served dinner, came over and she put the small plate in front of him. "Just work your way in. I'm right here if you need help," she whispered softly in his ear, managing to settle some of Crona's nerves. The piercing stares didn't help him, but he tried what was given to him. The taste hit his tongue strongly, but not overpowering. The food seemingly melting in his mouth and running down his throat as he swallows. The glistening look in his eyes gave away his amazement. 

"How is it?" Lord Death asked, trying to start a conversation with him since no one else was willing to. Crona looked him and gulped, "It's…. it's really good… This is the best thing… I've ever had in my whole life…" The silence came again as everyone ate. Crona finished relatively quickly, this was one of the first times he could eat without Ragnarok popping up, though he wasn't exactly sure why since this would be an opportunity to embarrass him.

Crona sat there awkwardly and some conversations at the other end of the dinner table started, leaving his end quiet. His gut feelings told him not to address Kid, but the prince at the other end still attracted his attention. The situation hurt, wanting to look, but knowing all to well the glance that awaited him if he tried to see the other's golden eyes. 

"So Crona. Would you care to explain just exactly who you are?" Lord Death asked causing the entire table to quiet. Crona looked over to his side to see everyone staring at him, all wanting to know the same thing. "W-what do you mean… ?" Crona looked at Lord Death since he was unsure how to answer that.

"I'm sorry let me rephrase the question. What exactly is your connection with Medusa?" He took on a little more serious tone, yet it wasn't completely intimidating.

Crona stared at him and people waited for an answer, he looked over at Maka for some form of encouragement and she gave him a little smile. 

"Well… I'm… I'm her… child….." Crona let it slip and the room was eerily quiet.

He waited for some kind of reaction or response when someone at the end of the table started to laugh. He didn't understand what was funny until slowly, person by person, the table began to ring with laughter. Crona looked at them and realized they were laughing at him, like it was a weak cover story. His eyes fell to Kid, who was trying to cover his mouth so the laughing wasn't entirely obvious to everyone. It felt like knife had buried inside his heart.

 One man slammed his hand on the table, "That is impossible. The only child she had died and she hasn't been pregnant since then!" Others joined in.

"Stop making excuses already and tell us the truth!"

"I bet the kid is just a slave! Explains why he hasn't eaten good food!"

"Even that witch would have taken better care of her only heir if she had one!" The mocking and questioning became louder and Crona slowly pushed his chair away. He didn't know how to deal with this and he didn't want to know how.

He covered his ears, trying to get their laughter out of his head. Getting up from the table, he ran out of dining room shaking. Maka set down her trays to follow after the lanky teen. She slammed the door harshly and the room quieted again, leaving a tension in the room. No one dared to speak until Lord Death stood up, "If you'll please excuse me ladies and gentlemen." He too left and everyone else was left to ponder if it was really the right thing to do. 

 

* * *

 

 

Crona sat in the cell with Maka, hugging her tightly and crying into her shoulder. He didn't understand why people would do that fully knowing his nervous and extremely introverted nature. No... he knew why. He wasn't human to them. As if his actions could be washed away in a week. 'I shouldn't have gone. I shouldn't have yelled and just let them do what ever they wanted to.' The thoughts attacked him, screaming at him to the point he became unaware of his surrounding.  

"Lord Death? What are you doing here?" Maka asked, feeling Crona tense up a bit.

"I'm terribly sorry for what happened at dinner. I did not mean to make you feel uncomfortable nor did I expect them to laugh at you. Accept my apologies and if you can, will you continue to explain your relationship with Medu- your mother…?" He sounded incredibly sincere and Crona glanced over at him, wiping his eyes.

"Y-You want to hear?" He shyly asked and was given a nod for a response. He didn't know where to begin.

"Well…. I-I don't know a lot…. And m-most of what I do was given to me by a maid tha-that use to take care of me as a child. She said I was Lady Medusa's child but… because I.... I was boy she didn't want me… she wanted a girl that would grow up to be like her…  But when I was little I remember she took me to a room. It was black and for the next few hours all I recall was pain and screaming…. The next thing I remember is Ragnarok beating me up and telling me how much of wimp I sounded like." He paused for a moment, unsure how much he could remember or if he locked those memories away.

"The maid told me that I was supposed to the heir, but that I was now here and most likely never going be able to leave… I never saw her again but Lady Medusa spent the following years telling me how to use this black blood in my body… I never wanted to do it… I never wanted to kill people… but I wanted her acknowledgment… I wanted her to treat me like a human being… like her son…. I wasn't the way she wanted but I tried so hard to be someone she'd acknowledge..."

The tears started flowing out again as he had to deal with all the pain he had been feeling for all of his life, yet kept bottled up inside. "Maka is the only one who showed me real sympathy and compassion… No one has ever cared about me… and I doubted that you would care… at least enough to come down here… and listen." Crona didn't want to lie anymore. He didn't want to have to hide everything and be afraid, but he had done horrible things and the last thing he expected was kindness from these people. "I know I have done terrible things and no apology can ever make up for how much pain I have caused... I don't deserve this... from Maka or from the person who rules the land..."

He felt a large hand on the top of his head and looked up Lord Death, confused. "I believe you, Crona. You do have some resemblance to your mother, but I can hear in your sincerity in your voice. Now if you would please come with me, I believe a change is in order."  
Lord Death got up and left while Maka helped Crona up, and the two followed him. The guards accompanied them, staying behind the trio as they walked away from the cells. Down some halls, they stopped in front of a large ornate door, "Here we are." He opened the door to reveal a relatively big bed room. Crona stepped inside before looking at Lord Death, "W-Why are we here?"

"This will be your room for the time being." He said. Crona looked apprehensive. "You… You don't have to do that, honest. I really don't deserve it at all."

"I trust Maka's judgement along with my own. You need a change in atmosphere and being in that cell is not going to help you progress. If we are wrong and you do something out of control, we are perfectly suited to take care of it. Maka will help you in here and some people are coming to bring in some other furniture and décor. There will be a different pair of guards watching nearby just in case. Well see you later." He abruptly exited the room, leaving Maka and Crona standing in their. He hesitantly went over to the bed and sat down. The comforters were a soft shade of red with a little design on them and the pillows looked fluffy like cloud. He touched them, feeling the expensive fabrics used to make such items. 

Maka came over and sat next to him, "Are you okay?" He looked over at her and shook his head, "I don't understand why he's letting me have this… I don't deserve it after everything I did… I don't even deserve the kindness you're giving me…. So why….?" His eyes pleading for answers.

"Crona. You said you didn't want to do what you did… Your mother had been controlling you. You're just as much of a victim as the people fighting and dying in the war. I can see you're a good person and you don't mean any harm." She smiled at him reassuringly. "Now you should rest and we'll fill your wardrobe with some clothes and I'll tell you how to work the bath, okay?" He nodded and didn't bother to change out of his clothes when he got under the covers. He felt like he was falling asleep in the sky and it managed to pull him into sleep faster than expected.

Maka got up and shut of the light before leaving the room. "Maka? What are you doing down here? I thought that room wasn't being used." She turned to see Kid standing a few feet away. "It is now. Your father let Crona have the room." Kid eyes widened and she stepped forward so she could prevent him from getting into the room. "He needs his rest, but we need to talk."

"He is the one from the party isn't he. The girl you danced with and disappeared with?" He didn't give a response. 

"You've been upset for weeks and wouldn't tell anyone. I thought it was because she rejected you. But it wasn't. It's because she was a he."

"That doesn't matter now. He is still a war criminal." He sternly replied.

"You only just found that information out a week ago. Yes that changed a lot, but that wasn't the main reason why." She retorted, disliking his tiptoeing around the subject.

"It doesn't matter the reason, I can't just let go of the fact he killed citizen's of this kingdom." He was getting annoyed having to continue this conversation.

"You're angry that you still find yourself attracted to him even after knowing that information." Kid looked away quickly. She sighed. "You know nobody cares. But if you're still mad I'm going to ask you to do something."

Kid glanced at her, "And what is that?"

She let her arms fall to her side, "Just give him space right now and a chance to work things out. He's still scared from what happened at dinner and probably over what happened with you, whatever that was. I want him to be comfortable here and you're not helping."

"Why should I help him? He works for that witch!" Kid yelled. Maka tried to shush him. "Be quiet. Crona is trying to sleep. If you heard the rest of story instead of laughing at him, you wouldn't be saying that." She snapped back.

Kid was caught off guard and backed away a bit. "Fine, but don't expect me to suddenly be nice to him after everything that's happened." Maka sighed but nodded.

"If you don't have anything nice to say to him, then don't say it to him." He turned and started walking down the hall while Maka stood in front of the door for a little while before seeing it okay to leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr](http://smolragebaby.tumblr.com/)   
>  [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/smolragebaby/)   
>  [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO6UK9RAfnwSHTEw0xWXz_Q)


	7. Arrangements

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited 06/19/17

Crona woke up in the morning feeling nauseated. He remembered overhearing the conversation Maka and Kid had tried to keep quiet outside his door. He could understand Kid's dislike of him, but that didn't make the situation any better. It was like being punched in the gut. While Maka was one of the first people to truly care about him, he didn't feel like he deserved any of the kindness he received from her. He had killed people knowingly and done horrible things that he could never take back. 

He sat up and took a pillow from his bed before moving to the corner of the room. Ragnarok emerged from his back.

"So when are you going to break out of here?" He pestered, not helping at all.

"I don't know. But I don't want to go back to Lady Medusa… and I don't want to stay here any longer than I really should… They're probably still going to try to kill me…" He gripped the pillow harder. 'That's all this was. They just wanted to buy some time so they could figure out what to do with me'.

There was a knock at the door causing Ragnarok to take his sudden leave, "Crona? Are you up? I brought you something to eat." Maka asked. She didn't hear a reply and entered the dark room to check on the other.

She set a tray down on the desk and when her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she noticed the lilac hair in the corner. "Crona? What are you doing in the corner?" She started to walk over. "No just stay over there…" She paused. "Crona? Are you okay?"

The boy didn't know what he could say and looked up at her, his eyes speaking volumes while his lips were sealed shut. She ignored the earlier request and came over. "Crona… please tell me what's wrong."

He shifted, pillow still firmly in his grasp, "Why are you being so nice to me? You don't owe me anything… and I don't deserve it…" He felt the tears start to fall down his face.

Maka sighed. "Crona… I'll keep telling you this. You deserve a chance to have a real life and I want you to have that chance. From what you said, it sounds like you haven't gotten a chance to just live your life as you want. Now get out of the corner and eat something." 

He looked at her, slightly nodding. She helped him up, taking the pillow from him and guiding him over to the desk where she had left the food. Crona stared at it. It looked good though he didn't know what half the things on the tray were. He hesitantly picked up the knife, feeling Maka's intense gaze on him as he cut the food.

He took the fork and put a small portion of the food in his mouth. For a second or two, Maka noticed how his eyes lit up at the taste. He turned to her, curiously wondering what she had given him. Maka giggled. "Blueberry pancakes. I take it you like them."

He nodded contently and continued to eat. He managed to get something in his stomach, before Ragnarok burst out again in order to devour the remaining food. Maka was a little peeved by him, but sighed since Crona got at least some of it.

"I'll have to remember to bring more, so Ragnarok won't take from you." She stated, taking the tray.

"T-thank you." He smiled softly.

"I'm going to go drop this off and come back to let you know what's going to happen for a while." She turned and left out the doors.

Crona had nothing to do other than sit there, trying to accept Maka's words. He desperately wanted to believe them. Let them sink in. Accept them. However, it just felt harder to swallow. He was alone in silence until a person spoke up.

"So you're the boy staying here?" Crona barely had time to turn before smelling the smoke of a cigarette. He scrunched his nose and shook his head, not accustomed to the annoying scent. "I didn't expect you to be so thin." The person came into the room and tapped the cigarette lightly. Crona stayed quiet, backing up a little at the unfamiliar person.

"W-who are you? Maka is only supposed to come in here…" He tried to not to get defensive since the other could be someone important. "Ah. She hasn't said anything about me even though I know a little bit about you. You're the child of our enemy kingdom's queen, though you were treated more like a servant so you have little education and social skills even though you have the social standing of a prince like Kid."

Crona was even more confused, question unanswered and head spinning from the last statement. He snapped out of it when a name was called, though not his. "Stein! I told you not to come in and startle him." Maka pouted on her way back into the room and over to the poor boy. The older man chuckled, "I couldn't resist. Once you told me, I was curious and wanted to see it for myself."

Maka sighed and shook her head disapprovingly. "Crona, I have a lot to explain to you, won't you please follow me?" She smiled softly and put her hand out for him to take. He took it softly and she pulled him up and out of the room. He, however, began to cling to her when he noticed the Stein person following them.

Down the various halls that Crona would likely not remember, they stopped at an elaborate wooden door. Maka opened the doors and let Crona step inside. Walls high above their heads, with multiple books and texts of various sizes and colors. It was completely overwhelming and took Crona a few minutes to return to reality. By then Stein was over at a desk with some books and Maka was making sure everything was there. He came over and she quickly placed him into the comfortable chair and pushing it in. He was tense as he looked forward to the slightly intimidating man.

"From now on, you'll be receiving an education to help you gain what you lost all those years in that castle. You'll need to be prepared to speak in front of people among other lessons to help you. You can call me Professor, Stein, or Professor Stein, either works and I'm not strict on it." He paused to look at the boy, seeing the dizzying gaze in the boy's eyes and slightly groaned before looking at Maka.

She shook his shoulder, "Crona. Crona did you get that?" He looked over at her hopelessly. She tried to think of a way to help. "Crona. We would like to 'reveal' your existence to the public. As a prince and heir to the warring kingdom. You'll need to know what to do."

"But. But maka. I'm no prince. I'm no heir. I'm just… I'm just a pathetic murderer… I can't… I" She put her index finger to his lips. "Don't worry. You just need to play the part. We won't make you overwork yourself." She grinned reassuringly.

Crona stared at her. Once he seemed to be calm, Stein gave him basic tests to see what level of schooling he had received. His writing was fair, his grammar could use work, and he could hardly answer anything with math, science or government. It didn't help that during the basic tests, the door had opened and Kid had come in hoping to find a book. Stein noted how tense Crona became when he saw the other boy along with the other boy's not-so-held back glare. Kid looked at Maka and she shoved him back out of the room.

"Kid. What are you doing here?" She tried to stay quiet. "Me? What are you doing here with him and Stein?"

She glared. "Did your father not tell you? He wants Crona's existence as the heir to become public, but in his current condition, it would be horrible for him. He can hardly stand being in the library."

He groaned. "That's not my problem."

"It is your problem. You should stop being such a jerk. I figured it out when he told me he was male. You're upset because of it. He's mentioned what she was trying to get him to do. Do you even realize that if he was cold-hearted, that you would be dead? You should be partially grateful he isn't like his mother."

"Why should I be the one grateful? He was still part of what happened."

"You're not mad that he would have killed you. You're mad because you still feel something for him." Kid stared at her for a moment, letting the words sink in before turning around. "When the library is clear tell me so I can find the books I was looking for…" He started walking away, but Maka was ready to follow him until a hand touched her shoulder. Stein stood there. "Don't worry about him right now. This all takes time." She took a breath to calm down and nodded, heading back inside with the other.

This was all going to take time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr](http://smolragebaby.tumblr.com/)   
>  [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/smolragebaby/)   
>  [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO6UK9RAfnwSHTEw0xWXz_Q)


	8. Making Amends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited 06/19/17

Chapter 8: Making Amends

The tension had begun to die down a bit in the castle. Crona was avoiding Kid like the plague, not wanting to be around the other's intense gaze at all. Maka managed to help by keeping Crona in the library, somewhere Kid had also begun to avoid. She was teaching Crona how to improve their reading and writing ability, something she had asked Stein to let her take care of. The black haired girl that had been there when he was captured also began to come over a lot more. He found out her name was Tsubaki since he wasn't really paying attention as to whether or not it was said the first time they met. She was a rather calming presence for him, enjoying the few times she got to come over and help him. 

Around lunch time almost three weeks later, they took a break and left the library to stretch. Maka noticed Crona wasn't hiding behind her all the time. He would move closer if someone was coming down the hall, but would return by her side once they left. As they walked, there was slight padded echoing coming down the hall. Crona tensed a little, but didn't have much time to react as a creature turned a corner close by and came running towards the pair. Maka tried to move in front of Crona, but the creature moved around her and tackled Crona to the ground.

He was shaking horribly and didn't know what was going on when it was sniffing him. Maka moved quickly, "Bad dog! You know better than that!" She grabbed the dog by its collar, pulling it back and giving Crona an opportunity to scoot away against the wall. He was still freaked out by the dog's sudden appearance and battery. Maka used most of her strength to keep the dog away from a terrified Crona. The dog was about half her size and a soft shade of black. It eventually sat and whined, staring at Crona.

Maka pet the dog. "I'm sorry. I didn't think they'd let her in much less into this area. She doesn't bite." Crona looked at Maka then at the dog who seemed to be asking for his attention. His hand was still shaking, but he hesitantly held it out close to the canine. She sniffed his hand before licking it gently, which caused him to pull it back quickly. Maka smiled softly at him, easing him a bit as he moved to scoot close to both of them.

The dog remained calm as Maka held onto her and let Crona work his way over slowly. The dog eventually pulled forward a little to sniff him again. He tried to breathe, since his heart was still recovering from a moment ago. She licked his cheek softly before pulling away. Maka slowly let go and the dog went forward to cover the poor boy with affection. It took him a little to get used to it, but soon he softly smiled and moved the pet her. Maka sighed in relief and looked down the hall to see if anyone was coming for the dog. "Will you wait here with her while I figure out why she was brought inside?"

Crona nodded and Maka watched the two as she headed down the hall to investigate.

The dog had settled and had her head resting in his lap while he pet her. "H-How is there so much I still don't know," He wondered as his hand stroked the midnight fur. He started hearing voices and footsteps coming from the other hall. He couldn't pin point who it was until they turned to opposite corner to see the boy. Crona tensed completely, seeing Kid with two other girls, both blonde. One squealed happily and ran over, causing Crona to quickly get up to move away. The bright blonde focused her attention on the dog, not caring about Crona's presence close by. Kid and the other female moved forward, Crona took stepped back a step or two.

"What are you doing here?" Kid asked sternly, throwing the girl next to him off a bit. "I-I'm sorry... I was walking with Maka and it just found us." He quickly bowed, copying what he had seen others do when they addressed Kid. "I'm sorry." Crona didn't waste time quickly turning and running down the hall to escape any more conversation.

"What was that about, Kid?" The taller blonde turned to him. "It's nothing that you should be worried about, Liz." He glanced at her. "His actions say it's not just nothing." She crossed her arms. He sighed and looked at the girl playing with the black dog. "Let's go, Patty." He started walking back down from where they came. Liz scoffed, "Don't just ignore the question."

"I told you it's nothing you should be worried about." He continued walking, forcing Liz and Patty to rush in order to keep up with him.

Once it sounded like the place was clear, Crona peaked out from the corner and went back to the spot to wait for Maka. He curled up against the wall. He didn't know what to do about this. He couldn't deal with this.

He felt small drops of salt water run down his face, quickly rubbing it away. He heard footsteps from where Maka had left and perked up slightly when he saw her down the hall. She seemed confused on why the dog was gone, but noticed the slight sad expression in Crona's eyes and understand that something had happened. "One of the others told me the Thompson sisters were here. That's why she was let in and she probably came here because you're a new scent to- Is everything alright?"

She was concerned even when he shook his head. "Crona, you know you can tell me." He stared and mumbled something before repeating it louder for her, "It's just uh... Kid... I know I deserve it, but it still hurts that way he looks at me... and talks to me if he has to." He tried not to cry and Maka helped him up. She was ready to go confront him again, even in front of the Thompson sisters, but wanted Crona to relax.

"Follow me." She gave no other explanation as she dragged him through the halls. He didn't ask until she came to a door and opened it to the outside. She pulled Crona through and he looked out at a beautiful garden he never got see. She noticed his eyes sparkle as the soft breeze delicately moved the grass and flowers.

"This... This is beautiful." He stepped outside, having been almost a month since he got some fresh air. "Explore for a while. You deserve it." She smiled before closing the door behind her. 

 

Kid was sitting with the Thompson sisters in a study. Patty was still enthusiastically playing with the dog and Liz was still trying to get answers, but was getting nowhere with Kid.

"Kid. Kid don't just ignore me." Liz pestered. He stared at the book, thinking of other things in order to not have to answer any of Liz's questions. She got up, taking the book, "Kid! Explain to me why you were like that to that poor boy! You've never been so fierce to anyone." She looked upset and he sighed. "It's none of your business." Before she had time to retort, the doors slammed open and revealed an equally, if not more, angered Maka.

'It's been weeks and you're still acting like this!" She charged forward, grabbing his shirt collar. "You're treating him no better than his own mother! If you still have feelings for him, get it out without taking it out on him! No one will care that he's a boy! If you don't, then get over what happened to you and move on! You're not helping him feel any better about being here!" She panted heavily, having vented enough. The only reason she wasn't fired was because she was good at her job and a close friend. "Next time you see him, take a good long look at the fear you make him go through. Maybe that will fix your shitty attitude." Maka let go and left, slamming the door behind her, leaving the 3 mildly shocked by her outburst.

"Are you going to tell me, or do I have to go ask her?" Liz finally broke the silence. Kid stared forward before turning to her, weighing his options. "...Fine... Do you remember my birthday party a while ago?" Liz pulled up a chair, folding her arms and crossing her legs in a slightly unlady like manner. "Yes what about it?" Kid took a breath, turning slightly red. He looked at her then turned away mumbling something. Liz raised an eyebrow, unable to catch what he said. "Kid, you're going to need to speak up or maybe I'll go catch up with Maka." She was prepared to get up, when he reached over his desk to grab her hand. "Thatgirlisthesameboythat'sbeenstaying." He spoke quickly, but audibly.

She sat back down. "You mean, that girl that you danced with was actually... a boy... the boy from earlier?" It was silent before she started to laugh. Kid was blushing as her laughed echoed in the study room. "That's all this about. Oh my god, Kid. It's about time!" Liz was hitting the arm of the chair. "What do you mean it's about time!?"

"We were waiting for you to admit that you kind of liked boys." Patty blurted out. Kid's already reddened face turned from the sisters. "I have no idea what you both are talking about." Once Liz's ribs hurt, she stopped, slightly giggling. "Kid, we've known you longer than Maka and the others, despite the appearances you try to uphold, you've never held that kind of interest in girls. Sure you may have thought one was attractive, but it was just a comment without any feeling put into it." Kid slightly glared, but didn't say anything. "If you're mad that the one you actually had some interest in turned out to be a boy all along then just come clean about it. It was just a little crush and from the looks of it, he really doesn't look like the kind who would do that on purpose."

Liz didn't know if anything she was saying was actually sticking in his head. "You could at least start being nice to the poor boy. He looked like he's still shaken by whatever you did" She paused for a moment. "Wait a minute. You disappeared from the party. What exactly did you do!?" She pulled the chair closer to the desk, even Patty stopped playing with the dog to come listen. He turned away from them, not wanting to say anything. "Oh my god, you didn't" Liz stared while Patty began her round of laughter. "KID WAS GUNNA DO IT!" She started to pound her hand on the floor. "NO I WASN'T! I NEVER INTENDED TO GO THAT FAR." He said, attempting to defend himself. "We... We just kissed... a few times... in my room" Liz was mildly shocked, but tried not to laugh again. "You were seriously thinking about it though. No one just goes to their room just to kiss a few times."

"Well I did. Can we please stop talking about this... please" Kid tried to pick her book up. Liz intercepted him, "Oh no you don't. I need details. What was it like? Did you like it?" She began to get personal and Kid knew she wasn't going to let this go, but thought back to what happened in order to tell her something that would satisfy her curiosity. When he really thought about, 'her lips were slightly chap, yet still felt incredibly soft as was her skin'. He quickly shook his head, 'She isn't real. It was a He.' Liz kept staring at him, and he quickly got up. "And where do you think you're going." She questioned.

"Out. It's getting too uncomfortable in here." He walked on the side furthest from the sisters as Liz attempted to push the chair out and go after him. He managed to make his escape before they got him.

Slipping along the corridor, his mind started to flash back to various glimpses. Crona did look lovely in that dress, and his hair was done evenly, much different to the mess of hair he actually had. Then their skin was so... soft and cold to the touch. He kept walking before stopping and hitting his head. 'No stop it. You have responsibilities to uphold. It was just a stupid crush. He's not her. They're not alike. Just stop it.' He yelled at himself before looking out the window to the garden. It always helped. He looked at the lawn looked wonderfully kept and the bushes were trimmed, it probably smelled wonderful as well.

He sighed, shifting his eyes until he noticed the boy in question, sitting in the grass near one of the red rose bush. He couldn't make out what the other was doing exactly as Maka's angered words rang out in his head 'Take a good look at him next time you see him' He still wasn't comfortable with the idea, but he had an opportunity to now, so he pushed himself away from the window and headed to the back door. 'I must be mad.'

 

After Maka had left him to wander, Crona didn't really know what to do. He walked around, but got easily confused as it almost felt like a maze. He had paused to observe the plants, and was quite fascinated by them. He had never seen something look so beautiful, he was afraid to touch it, thinking he'd ruin it, but he really wanted to show Maka. So he just sat near the bush, waiting for her to come back. Ragnarok kept yelling at him in his mind, telling him that she abandoned him in this maze to be lost forever and that he should just go back to Medusa. He hadn't heard a single word from her since he arrived, with Ragnarok continuously filling his head with the ideas that Lady Medusa was leaving him to be killed by the kingdom instead of having to do it herself. He clutched his arms, feeling the self-hatred and low self-esteem bubble up.

She never cared about him. Ever since he was born, all because he was born male, or at least that's what the maid told him. He couldn't help being born this way, that's what Maka told him. But somehow, he wished he hadn't been. The words of encouragement were nice, but they only stagnated his real feelings. He felt broken, with pieces scattered around, that nobody could fully pick up. The thoughts were burst when he heard footsteps. He quickly got up, brushing himself up and smiling, thinking Maka had come back. The bright smile quickly faded when he saw Kid coming towards him, looking slightly unemotional, but coming up to him quickly. He tensed before looking at the ground, quickly put holding his arms while also tempted to run. He only took two steps back before Kid called out to him, catching up to him.

"I-I didn't touch anything, I pr-promise. I was just looking, I'm sorry Maka told me to stay out here." He kept apologizing and Kid seemed to stare at the younger boy. He noticed how his eyes shifted to avoid looking at him.

How the other's shoulders shook like a cornered animal.

How he kept his arms in front of him to act like a temporary shield.

How his voice felt uneven, and stuttered.

Kid looked at him, feeling the anger bubble down and turn into guilt. He had refused to listen to what the other said, what his father and Maka had been trying to tell him about the boy. He was so terrified and abused. He looked away, drowning out the others voice, before turning back. "T-that's not why I'm here, please if you will please listen to me for a few moments?" He tried to sound as soft as possible, not wanting to chase the other boy away or freak him out. Crona stopped rambling, still keeping his arms up, but seemingly listening to him. He coughed a bit. "I-I would like to apologize for my behavior the past few weeks. It was incredibly uncalled for. Along with how I treated you at my birthday party. Forgive me." He slightly bowed, seeing as the other was technically also royalty. Crona was stunned, he didn't know if he understood him correctly. Kid was truly apologizing for what happened even if it was all his fault. "N-no you- you shouldn't be. I-it's my fault. I tricked you. You liked me and you thought I was a girl. I was supposed to kill you. It's my fault. I shouldn't have been born in the first place. I shouldn't have existed. You shouldn't be apologizing. I'm sorry." He broke, he started stepping back.

Kid felt like he had made this worse, from the look in the boy's eyes, he was regressing. He didn't know how to help the other. He was still coming to terms with his anger, but trying to help him was beyond what he thought could do. Reaching out, he set a gentle hand on quaking boy's face.

Even his cheeks felt soft.

Gently, Crona's face was brought up to stare at Kid. The previously stuttering voice slowly stopped as he looked at the other prince's face.

His eyes looked so gentle and kind, like when they had met.

They even capture sunlight in them, a sense of warmth now coming from the fixate gaze instead of the ice cold stare. His mind began to empty for a brief moment as he slightly inched closer, though he quickly backed up. "S-sorry." He quickly backed up and ran from the other, trying to retrace his steps to find the door. Kid was about to called back out to him, but hesitated since it didn't seem to help much. He felt a little better that he got to apologize, but he wondered if that even changed anything given how the other wanted to leave so quickly. It only took a few moments for him to realize they had been physically getting closer, his face turning red.

Shaking the thoughts, the heir turned to head back to the door, trying to keep the memories out of his mind for the time being..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr](http://smolragebaby.tumblr.com/)   
>  [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/smolragebaby/)   
>  [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO6UK9RAfnwSHTEw0xWXz_Q)


	9. Dancing Away Worries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited 06/19/17

Through the halls the lilac haired boy ran. It was dark outside, not even the light over the moon was there. Sweat beading down his face as the halls felt longer and longer, stretching to purposefully keep him from the end. He tripped over his own foot, tumbling to the ground and scrambling to get back up.

“Crona.” A voice called out to him. He covered his ears quickly.

“N-No. Please leave me alone.” He cried. The end of the hall finally could be seen with Crona hastily reaching for it. The pale hand quickly grasping it, attempting to get the door to open up to the outside. He was quickly holding it for dear life, feeling pulled back by something unseen. Whining filled the halls from his arm being stretched in an attempt to keep himself by the door. Thin fingers slowly losing their grip on the handle until the force of hitting the floor pushed away any hope of escape. Crona only saw the door becoming smaller and smaller as he was dragged away, mindlessly attempting to claw at the rugs underneath them.

“You will never be able to escape me, Crona. I am the only one who will ever care for you.” The voice rang through the halls, getting louder with every inch his body was taken back. It eventually stopped. He could have gotten up. At least attempted to make a break for it, but he remained frozen in place, too terrified to get up. A hand grasped a part of his shirt, forcing him up to stare at the present figure.

“L-Lady Medusa.”

Jumping up, Crona’s breathing was erratic. The sweat beading down his face as he frantically looked around. The room was still in order, nothing was moved, no one was inside, but that failed to quell any feeling of terror that his mother had managed to get in somehow. He knew he needed to check everywhere to make sure, yet all he could do was tremble in his spot on the bed. Wiping off the salty water from his forehead with the edge of his blanket, Crona elected to curl up in the duvet. The nightmares had been plaguing him for weeks. He refused to tell the others as they looked so happy and peacefully that bothering them with his troubles would only bring everyone down.

‘Everything is okay. I’m safe. She can’t get me here. She shouldn’t be able to. Maka said I should be okay here. I’m safe… I’m safe…’ The constant reassuring words failed to lull him to sleep the rest of the night…

 

Standing in the middle of a large, golden laced room wasn’t so much intimidating as it was empty. Other than the piano shoved close to towering windows, there was hardly anything in terms of furniture. Crona yawned, rubbing his eyes and waiting for Maka where she had asked him. He tapped his foot slightly, trying to create some form of noise so it didn’t feel so lonely. Ragnarok had actually left the poor boy alone early this morning, not even commenting about not getting a lot of sleep or hardly eating breakfast. He turned when he heard voices coming down the hall, making out Maka and Tsubaki but someone unknown to him.

“Maka why are you even dragging me here? Can’t Kid play, he was paying for all those damn lessons,” the unknown person said.

“I haven’t heard you play in a long time and I don’t want Kid making him nervous by staring at him.”

“Please. This is the one time Blackstar isn’t here, he won’t ruin anything this time.” Crona heard Tsubaki reply.

“Okay. Okay. Jeez. I get it.” Maka peeked through the door smiling, assuring in Tsubaki and the person. The boy was about the same height as Maka. Crona stared, slightly drawn in by the white hair and red eyes. He hadn’t seen anyone that had that kind of hair though it made him feel a little better about having a strange hair color.

“Crona. I’d like you to meet Soul Evans. He is the son of huge music composer and his brother plays violin.” Soul just waved slightly causing Maka to elbow him, leaving Crona unsure what he should do before she spoke up.  
“He offered to play-“

“Was forced to play. Ow. What the hell Maka!”

“He is going to play so you can hear the music while you’re learning to dance, it makes it a lot easier to understand. Tsubaki offer to be your dance partner too.” Tsubaki smiled at him and he eased up a little. The small group headed to the piano at the other end of the room. Soul sat down at the bench, and began checking to make sure the piano was tuned and in good condition.

“Okay Crona. First take Tsubaki’s hand.” Maka instructed. Crona just nodded, hesitantly holding Tsubaki’s hand, slightly looking away.

“Now her waist.” Maka watched the shy boy do as he was told though he looked incredibly nervous by it. Tsubaki looked at him worried.

“Crona. It’s okay. This is just practice.” He nodded and heard the music from the piano playing. He almost missed Maka counting down to 3, slightly rushing and heading the opposite way, smacking into Tsubaki. He froze and started apologizing profusely for the mistake, though neither of the girls punished him.

“It’s okay, just try it again and just step back instead of forward.” They readjusted and began again. Crona got through two steps before he accidentally stepped on her foot, apologizing for that as well. Soul just watched the boy fumble, not sure about how to quell the lilac haired one’s nerves. No one was sure how much time had passed, but Crona was close to completely giving up since he could not understand anything Maka was telling him and Tsubaki’s positive comments weren’t doing anything to rid his mind of any of the doubts.

“If he is having trouble, why don’t I try to practice with him?” The four looked over to see Kid leaning against the door. None of them were sure how long he had been standing there. He walked over, making sure not move too fast to startle Crona.  
“If it isn’t too much trouble anyway.” He quickly added as Maka looked at him questioningly. Crona hadn’t told her about the encounter in garden the other day, but he hadn’t felt as scared when he would occasionally pass Kid in the hall way the few times since then.

“I don’t think you shou-“

“It’s okay Maka…” Crona looked up at Maka’s surprised face.

“Are you sure you’re fine with this?” Kid asked, more for Maka than himself. Crona nodded slowly. While she was suspicious, Maka didn’t argue with the arrangement and Tsubaki stepped away to give the two boys room. Kid took a step forward cautiously.

“I can lead. I mean, if you want me to.” The raven haired boy said. Crona nodded to that as well. Kid reached out, taking his hand steadily while gently placing his hand on the taller boy’s small waist. When he could see that Crona was becoming slightly more at ease, he turned towards Soul. The albino snapped out of it and started playing. While Crona did still mess up, Kid made sure to keep going, commenting on the errors and how to fix them. They twirled on the dance floor, repeating that pattern until Crona understood it with him staring into Kid’s eyes. They still felt warmer as the had when the prince has apologized to him. It reminded him of how warm and loving they were when the first met, before he ruined everything. He stopped, causing Kid to as well and alerting Maka, though she couldn’t see if the boy was crying and didn’t know if Kid had quietly said something to him.

“Crona are you o-“

“W-why…?” Crona cut Kid off.

“Why? Why what?” Kid questioned.

“Why… Why do… Why do you look at me like that now…after all this time?” Crona muttered out, looking away.

“How am I looking at you? Did I do something wrong. I didn’t mean t-“

“I mean how you look at me with the sun in your eyes… Why is it so warm now…?” He answered, again not letting Kid finish. He looked at the shy boy, ready to speak up before he stopped to think. He thought of when they were dancing just a moment ago. He didn’t understand until he realized that Crona had been referring to how he had looked at him when he was under the assumption he was a girl, but he still didn’t understand if Crona thought of this as a bad thing.

“If you don’t want me to.”

“No. No, it’s okay. I just… I had wondered if you honestly meant what you said in the garden… I can really see you did.” He slightly smiled. Maka finally came over.

“Well that is enough practice for today. Crona, let’s go you have to eat.” Maka pulled Crona away.

“Maka, wait. Crona, will you have dinner with me tonight?” Kid blurted out. Crona turned to him and Kid noticed the hesitant gleam in his pale eyes.

“It can be just you, me and my father. I swear. We can have dinner on the balcony. It would be an honor.” Crona’s mind spun a bit, he was trying to go out of his way to truly get Crona to join him. While he turned to Maka for a moment.

“O-okay.” The prince’s normally stoic facade vanished and he looked shocked but also happy at Crona’s answer.

“W-Wonderful. Thank you for accepting.” He managed to say as Maka usher Crona out of the dance hall with Tsubaki. Soul got up from the bench, walking over to Kid.

“You look like a love sick teenager. Does the great prince actually have a crush? I’m shocked.” Soul announced.

“I am not. Just after getting yelled at by Maka and lectured by the Thompson sisters, I came to realize he is not as bad as I had first thought.”

“First thought when he was a girl or in a cage?” Soul questioned. Kid slightly glared at him.

“How do you know about that?”

“You really think Maka wouldn’t tell me about it? She kept going on and on about Crona and how you two weren't getting along. But from what I can tell you at least have managed to start moving past it.” The two stood there for a moment before heading out the hall, saying their goodbyes as they went their separate ways.

Kid hummed slightly before he found out exactly what time it was and began to panic, realizing he had less than two hours to get ready for dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr](http://smolragebaby.tumblr.com/)   
>  [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/smolragebaby/)   
>  [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO6UK9RAfnwSHTEw0xWXz_Q)


	10. Stay with Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited 06/19/17

“No. No. No! The chairs need to be 2 cm to the left. No, your other left! Stop. I will do it myself.” Kid barked at the unfortunate maid who was helping set up. Though he wouldn’t admit it, he wanted everything to be perfect for the small dinner with Crona, his way of attempting to restart after the disastrous one the lanky boy had endured weeks ago. He shooed the maid away, telling her to go worry about the kitchen workers rather than him. Meticulously, he moved the décor to his exact specifications, hardly letting a fork out of place ruin his work.

Once he judged the table and its accessories to be in their proper alignment, he went to his room and began fix himself to look more presentable. His hair was going to bug him the entire time, not that he never attempted to do so with hair dye. But the white strips sickeningly mocked him every time he looked at a mirror. He sighed. A knock at the door distracted him for a moment. He trudged over, opening it.

“Ye- father? What are you doing here?” he asked.

“Sorry kiddo, something came up and I have to attend to a few things with the war. Will you be okay having dinner by yourself?”

“I am 18.”

“I know, but you still remind me of when you were a little boy.” Death chuckled. Kid felt slightly embarrassed even though his face didn’t show it.

“I will be fine. Though I had hoped you would be here. I invited Crona to dine with us…”

“Crona? I thought you two weren’t getting along.”

“Well after some… thought, I came to realize that it would be for the best to reconcile with him and try to understand. I am still upset about the massacre, but that won’t change anything so the best course is to talk since he willing to and hasn't posed any sort of threat while he has been here.” Kid stated as a front. Death stared at his son for a moment.

“Well I am glad to see you are trying to work it out with him. Stein has been telling me that he is making progress, even if it’s slow, he tries. At least you are too.” He ruffled Kid’s hair, much to the boy’s annoyance. Death laughed and turned to leave.

“Good luck with dinner.” He left. Kid closed the door, fixing his hair and sighed. He still had a little bit of time left until he had to return to the balcony. While sitting on the lavish bed, he pondered Crona’s words. He knew while upset with the other that he would glare. But, he didn’t know if he really did like the boy enough to look at him the Crona thought he was. ‘Do I still like him…? I mean, I don’t really know much about him or who he is...’ he rubbed his hand on his face groaning.

Getting off the bed he found himself back on, Kid headed back towards the balcony. Once there, he leaned against the wall. There was a soft breeze as the sun was beginning to set, painting the skies in orange and pink hues.

“Kid?” a voice called out. He turned, seeing the very same lilac haired boy that plagued his thoughts. The boy was peeking out from behind the door frame.

“You can come in, you weren’t interrupting anything.” The boy nodded and came out. The white outfit he wore suited him nicely. Turning slightly to look behind him whispering something before facing forward and slowing walking toward him, his hand holding his arm. Kid met him half way.

“I am glad you decided to come. Though you are early.”

“Oh I… I’m sorry. Maka didn’t take long picking an outfit and she wanted to make sure I wouldn’t get lost.”

“She isn’t out there, is she?” Kid looked over Crona’s shoulder.

“N-no. I asked her to go…” The awkward silence that filled the air. They avoided eye contact for a moment before Kid slightly coughed.

“Crona. Would you join me at the balcony table?” Kid held out his hand. The other nodded, hesitantly taking the offer and being led closer to the outside. The thin boy took in the fresh breeze and stunning colors of the outside world bringing a sparkle to the normally frightened eyes. Kid snapped himself out from staring too long before quickly turning towards the boy.

“Before dinner starts, Crona, I offer you my formal apology in regards to my actions of the last few weeks.” He bowed slightly. Crona stepped back.

“Kid, you really don’t have to do that. I… I don’t deserve it and you already apologized...”

“The apology? Was the bowing a little much?”

“No… all of this… I really… I know Maka tells me otherwise… but I really don’t deserve any of this treatment.” Crona whined, starting to shrink back a little.

“You are a prince. Technically, we are the same.” He stated.

“I’m no prince. Even if I was born to Lady Medusa… I… I can’t ever see myself as an equal to you… I have killed so many people… I hurt you… and your kingdom…” Crona rubbed his eyes to try not to cry. Kid was quick to go over to him.

“Crona. Crona, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories. What do you need? Water?” Kid worried, trying to comfort him.

“I just… don’t understand how anyone can be so nice to me… when I’m just like her…” His voice seemed to dull slightly and Kid helped him over to sit in the chair.

“Then Maka will help you. Tsubaki will help you. Stein will help you. I will help you to understand. I know I can’t make it right. We can’t bring back those people. But we can try to help you.” He smiled softly at the lilac hair boy, bringing a blush to his cheeks. He turned away and took a breath.

“T-Thank you...” Kid’s gentle hand left his shoulder as he went to the other side of the small table. He tried to engage the other with talks about the garden or other things in order to keep Crona from feeling uncomfortable. The slender boy expressed his interest in a little patch of flowers he found, describing them as having delicate white petals and thorns running down the stem. Kid actively listened, watching the boy’s eyes light up when he tried to describe them.

Dinner was served sooner than expected, neither of them realizing how much time had passed during their chat. Crona’s shoulders were visibly lax and he started showing color in his face, a good sign. When he took a bit of the food, his eyes seemed to sparkle with fascination even though he tried not to show his enthusiasm. Kid chuckled.

“Do you like it?” The other nodded.

“Good, you can have as much as you want.” The verbal confirmation seemed to ease him and he began to eat more of what had been served, curiously trying everything he was given and taking in the various flavors that infiltrated his mouth. He never imagined food could vary so drastically each day or that so many different tastes and smells existed. Kid just watched him, hardly touching his food as he got lost in Crona’s enthusiasm. It didn’t occur to him how much he hadn’t eaten until his stomach growled at him. A maid came over to take the younger boy’s plate, asking if he cared for more to which he ecstatically replied ‘yes’. She left, leaving Crona no alternative with what to do. Looking at Kid felt slightly awkward as the other was eating.

“Crona. Do you like being here? Past and situation aside, do you enjoy being here?” Kid asked, looking down at his plate while cutting some of the meat. It caught the other off guard. All he had ever said was that he didn’t deserve it. But, did he enjoy this? Peace? Serenity? 

“This… place is beautiful. I doubt I would want to be anywhere else. There is no pressure here, no one looming over me telling me I am worthless.”

“Then, would like to stay here? Not as a guest or prisoner, but living here. With Maka and with… me?” Kid set down the utensils, looking at the other with pleading gold eyes that drew Crona in. He paused however, thinking carefully. Sure he would be able to finally have a sense of normalcy, but there was still the hesitation.

The war was still on going.

His mother was still alive.

He was scared of the outcome. Scared of his mother coming back for him. He knew he wasn’t ready to rebel against her, that if she came, he wouldn’t be able to fight back. But even then, all the fears burned away as he stared into the prince’s sunlit eyes, impressing upon him the feeling of security.

“You don’t have to go through this alone. I will stay right here with you and help you the best I possibly can. Please, won’t you live here and stay?” He hit the breaking point. Salt laced tears raced down Crona’s pale face as the words comforted him gratefully.

“I just… don’t want to hurt you again. Or Maka. Or anyone.” His voice hitched as rubbed the tears away. Kid quickly got up and came over to his side, taking one of his hands.

“You will never have to hurt anyone anymore while you’re here. I swear to you. We will never force you to do that.” The chair screeched loudly against the floor as Crona moved, embracing the other tightly and crying loudly into his shoulder. Gentle hands moved, one around the crying boy’s waist and the other soothingly stroking his hair.

“I will be right here. As long as you need…”

The embrace felt wonderful and comforting. Kid wasn't holding him tightly, just enough to be secure and warm. 

"I've been cruel to you. I treated you wrongly and did not give you a chance. So please help me understand how I can help you. More than Stein. More than Maka." The voice echoed in Crona's ears. While the pangs of guilt still rang, it lessened with each word and he softly smiled against the other's shoulder. 

"Alright..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr](http://smolragebaby.tumblr.com/)   
>  [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/smolragebaby/)   
>  [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO6UK9RAfnwSHTEw0xWXz_Q)


	11. Nightmares

Sweat beaded down his forehead. He whined and panted, twisting the sheets around him. Hands raking through the velvet sheets. Nothing but cries could be heard in the dark room. Eyes shot open in pain, looking around quickly. Crona sat up from the bed.

The dinner had ended on a light note and he felt secure knowing the other was willing to help. After crying on Kid’s shoulder at dinner, he thought he would be fine. That the nightmares would go away. She kept coming into his dreams, dragging him through hell. Sometimes he would look and see blood splattered against the marble walls, looking at the others dead bodies. Maka. Kid. Tsubaki. Anyone who helped him, they kept getting hurt. He stepped out of bed onto the floor.

‘I’m okay. She can’t get me here.’ Grabbing a small robe to wear over pajamas, he headed outside to the garden. It was slowly becoming his safe place. Somewhere he could go and be calm while not having to answer anyone’s questions. The moon was the only source of illumination. The bushes softly rustled in the chilling breeze. Despite the cold, Crona felt an off sense of calm outside. It convinced him that he was indeed free. Walking around luscious scenery, he found a soft area to sit down. His eyes focused on the moon. Ragnarok wasn’t bothering him, Kid was willing to help him, and, despite the nightmares, he felt tranquility for the first time in his life. No war. No dark room. No stale food or bruises.

He winced at a sharp pain in his ankle. Looking over, he could see anything, only hearing grass pushed away and louder brushing of a nearby rose bush. The blood hardened around the wound. The pain in his back informed him of Ragnarok’s presence.

“Why can’t you look out for yourself. Now look what you did.” He harped at the poor boy.

“I didn’t think there were anything else out here. Maybe I upset something?” He pondered, rubbing the bite wound. He attempted to get up, test walking on it. It didn’t seem to hurt.

“We should probably go inside before I catch a cold.” Crona started walking, slightly limping but mostly as an attempt not to agitate the bite…

 

 

The lilac haired boy sat in the library, attempting to listen to Professor Stein’s particular lesson. His head would dip, only to cause him to jolt up in order to stay awake. When he had returned to the room, he hadn’t been able to fall asleep. The bite would occasionally begin to burn, though he didn’t think much of it. Ragnarok, however, had begun to complain of a strange feeling coursing through him. He has begun seeing things out of the corner of his eye, something he couldn’t explain.

“Crona.” The boy turned towards the voice. Stein stood at the opposite end of the desk, the shine in his glasses blocking out his eyes in an unsettling way.

“You seem distracted. Is something bothering you?”

“N-No, I just didn’t get enough sleep last night… I’m sorry. I’ll pay attention.” Stein stayed quiet, analyzing the one in front of him.

“Alright. Just tell me if you feel as though you can’t focus.” He smiled slightly before returning to the lesson plans. Crona’s hand shook slightly as he wrote down the words being spoken to him. The colored orbs flickering at the corners of his eyes, taunting him. The pencil snapped.

“Stop it already!” He snapped, breathing heavily. He froze, looking up at Stein, who had stopped.

“I-I’m sorry I-”

“Is there something happening,” Stein questioned

“I don’t… they’re balls or shapes and they keep flashing in the side of my eyes.” Heading to a smaller desk, the man got a glass, pouring water into it and returning over to hand it over to the boy.

“Possibly dehydration. Drink this.” Crona took the cup firmly, drinking down the water. He didn’t realize how thirsty he had truly been until the cool clear liquid ran down his throat. He set the glass back down after finishing it. Stein went to grab the pitcher, bringing it back to the desk and grabbing his chair. He stared at Crona curiously, wondering if the lad was actually dehydrated.

“Has anything happened recently?” He pushed up his glasses.

“Um… Kid and I talked… I couldn’t sleep last night so I went on a walk in the garden… Oh, um something bit me. It hasn’t bothered me too much, other than a small burn every now and then…” The last statement peaked his interest slightly.

“Can I see where you were bitten?”  Crona hesitantly nodded, lifted his right leg to show the bite near his ankle. The wasn’t any redness, surprising considering how pale the other was. Nothing seemed to be there, not even swelling. Stein questioned the absence, but stayed unphased so he wouldn’t scare the fragile child.

“It seems too be fine for right now. I would recommend drinking more water and trying to eat a bit more than usually. If anything else comes up, do tell me. Now come on, I will take you back to your room for you to attempt to rest.” Stein helped the boy up, leading him out of the library and down the hall. Walking down the hallway, the pair ran into Kid, who was reading a book. He noticed Stein before seeing Crona as well.

“Is everything okay? I thought there were lessons today?” He raised an eyebrow. Before Crona could say anything, Stein covered for him.

“Crona was feeling a bit dizzy so I’m making sure he will rest in his room.” Kid seemed to accept this, but felt concern over Crona’s health. He watched the two walk, electing to wait before going to the lilac boy’s room. He made it into the dark room, attempting not to tense as he made it over to the bed.

“I will get Maka or another maid to bring you water and something to eat. Try to get a little bit of rest.” Stein made sure that Crona was resting in bed before leaving to do as he said. When he closed the door, he felt concern for what could possibly be happening.

‘Dehydration wouldn’t cause hallucinations especially if he just hadn’t drunk water since dinner. The fact that the bite wasn’t even slightly swollen was also another troubling sign. If it was venomous, then there would have been signs of such. Then there were the orbs, did they mean anything? Were they what had kept Crona awake?’ Stein didn’t know how he could find the answers with no idea what creature had bitten him. Pacing down the hall, his mind tried to go through every possible knowledge he had of the creatures in the area.

 

 

Crona sat in the room, alone, tired yet unwilling to fall asleep. Ragnarok’s groans of pain rung in his ears, making the already lightheaded prince feel as though he was trapped in a room. The dimly lit room distorting and twisting around him.

“ _Crona…_ ” the voice sounded like sweet bells. His muscles felt relaxed, to the point that turning his head was difficult.

“ _Crona…_ ” It was coming closer, whose ever voice was calling for him. He felt something touching his shoulders from behind, pulling him back gently.

“ _Crona…_ ” The voice started to distort into a harsh tone. “ _My dear child… You can’t hide from me… Your own mother_ ” The hands tightened around him, gripping his neck tightly. He gasped for breath, trying pawing and scratching at the cold hands strangling him.

“Crona!” A cold rush of liquid hit his face. He froze, panting horribly. Looking up, he noticed Maka along with another maid standing above him. His back was against the soft bed covers, now wet from getting hit presumably by water. Maka looked unbelievably relieved and set a tender hand on the calmed boy. “W-what are you doing here, M-Maka.”

“I wasn’t going to, but Eruka rushed into the maids’ chambers saying you were screaming and thrashing on the bed.” Crona glanced at the woman who was probably Eruka. The two dots at the ends of her mouth unnerved him. Turning his attention back to Maka, he apologized for being a bother. Eruka refilled a glass of water, handing it to him before taking a step back. The chilled liquid running down his throat barely eased his nerves, yet he still drank the whole glass.

Maka looked down, concerned about this behavior, but unsure what to do about it. Especially since he hadn’t exhibited this sort of fit in the month he had been staying here. The perplexing nature of this was enough for her to hesitate in leaving him, but she did still have to do her job.

“Will you be alright if I leave you here for a short time? I promise I will return as soon as I’m done with a job.” He nodded, “Could… um… could Kid come in… please?” Maka looked a little surprised, but agreed to get the prince as she got up to leave. Putting Eruka in charge of Crona’s temporary care, she slowly left the room. Every inch of her warning her brain against each step further away from the room.

 

 

It wasn’t hard to find Kid, he was sitting in a chair near the library and despite his eyes staring at the book, he wasn’t reading it. Mind obviously preoccupied.

“Kid. Hey, can I ask a favor?” Maka strolled up. The snap in his eyes was visible and he looked at her.

“It’s with Crona, right? Is he okay?” She raised an eyebrow questioningly.

“How do you know something is up with Crona?” She asked.

“I passed Stein taking him back to his room, saying he had felt dizzy.” This eased her a bit.

“Oh okay. He isn’t doing well; I don’t understand what happened. It was like he was having a fit. So if you go in, please be careful.” Kid nodded, taking her warning with all seriousness as he bookmarked the page and strode down the hall. Each step making him feel like he wasn’t going fast enough to get to the other’s room. Taking a deep breath as he neared the door, he quickly entered.

“Hey Crona, I-” He paused for a moment seeing Crona who looked as though he had passed out on the bed. Eruka standing close to the edge of the bed, looking down at the unconscious boy though quickly turning her attention to the other Prince.

“Oh your highness,” she bowed quickly. “I didn’t expect you to be here so soon.”

“I tried to get here as fast as I could when Maka told me what happened. If you would kindly dismiss yourself, I can look after him.”

“Sir, is that really safe? He could have another fit and hurt you.” She stated. Kid took another breath.

“I trust him not to do such a thing. Now if you would kindly leave.” She stepped back, before nodding and grabbing the pitcher of water in order to head out. Eruka left the duo alone. Kid sighed a bit, once the door closed, grabbing the chair near the desk and moving it over to the bed side. He tried not left the symmetry get to him in this serious situation, with no second chair able to be place on the other side of the bed.  

He turned his attention to the sickly looking boy. The sweat still running down his face. Kid may not have been a maid, but he wasn’t inept at taking care of himself or others. Grabbing a rag, he ran it along Crona’s forehead while feeling for a fever. But none was there. He felt colder and his hand would twitch quite often. Whimpers came from his pale lips.

“N-No…” the word was faint; Kid couldn’t hear it. Yet his curiosity was peaked and he tried to listen for anymore that came out of Crona’s mouth. There were only faint whispers of ‘no’ sprinkled here or there. When Kid tried to see if he could get answers out, he didn’t receive coherent replies, only mumbles of pain. The tossing and turning got worse, kicking pillows and pushing blankets away.

“Crona.” Kid touched his cheek.

The blade against his throat was freezing. Like winter’s very hand was touching him. Kid didn’t move an each, trying to not breathe for concern of cutting himself on the blade. He stared the boy down, not allowing anything, but his normal calm demeanor towards the other. The fear in Crona’s eyes rivaled that of any cornered animal. They hardly looked like his eyes. Pale. Scared. His breathe hitched and he recoiled. “Kid…” The sword slowly dissipated from where ever it came.  

“I-I’m sorry. I thought you were…” He shook off the thought. “N-No. Sorry…” He hung his head low, out of shame. The raven haired prince didn’t say anything initially, just raising his hand to reach over to Crona’s forehead.

“You don’t seem to have a fever.” His hand moved to his neck.

“Your heart is beating really fast. Look at me. A take a few slow deep breaths.”  The light in his eyes eased Crona enough to focus on breathing. He counted each inhale and exhale, Kid’s voice remaining soft and caring the entire time.

“Why are you… not angry?” He questioned as the tension wore down.

“I trusted you wouldn’t do anything to harm me. If you had, it was mostly the nerves. Were you having a nightmare?”

“…Something like that…”

“Do you want to talk to me?”

“I don’t want to drag you into them too…”

“Does Maka know about them?” Crona looked away.

“I won’t tell her if you don’t want me to.” Kid softly smiled. “I promise.” Crona curled up on the bed.

“Can you… come over here… please…” Getting up from the seat, the black clad prince came closer to the boy whose hand reached out, tugging on the end of his sleeves for him to get on the bed. Kid hesitated for a moment, but climbed in next to lilac haired prince. Thin arms wrapped around him.

“Can you just… stay like this… please… you don’t have to if you… don’t want to…” Crona didn’t hold on tightly, so if Kid wanted to leave then he easily could without meeting resistance or feeling forced. The other had to think for a moment before deciding to gently put his arms around the 17-year-old.

“I said I wanted to help and that I would be there for you. I’m not going back on my word.” He restated with a hint of strength in his words. While still tense, Crona took that statement well.

“I’ve… just had nightmares for a while… they were never actually this bad… but for the last two days… they’ve been getting worse…” Kid took in each word Crona spoke with great care and attention. The nightmares were understandable, due to the lingering sense of guilt and terror that the skinny lad still contained within his smaller body. But they were increasing in intensity and visibly taking their toll on him.

“Is it my fault?” He could only assume that after the rocky beginning and only recent development.

“No… It’s always… her… Lady Medusa… It was wrong to just try and get closer to you… she knows… she knows about you… and Maka… and what’s happening…”

“Maybe you’re overthinking? She is miles away.”

“She has people here… She must have… that’s the only way right… li-like spies?” Kid almost wanted to reject the idea, telling he must be wrong, but when he considered the possibility. That Crona was never mentioned, much less known about until recently, how many others could she have? Would they be better disguised? His grip on Crona accidently tightened uncomfortably.

“I-” A knock on the door disrupted things.

“Your highness, something urgent has come up and your father has called an emergency meeting. You’re expected to show up.” The grip softened and he looked down at Crona.

“I’m sorry. I have to go.”

“No! Please. D-Don’t leave me alone.” His heart felt like it was ripping apart slowly.

“I shall come right back when this is over. Please, trust me.” Before he realized what he was doing, he gave Crona a small peck on his forehead. His face flushed more than it was already and he looked away. Kid snapped out of it for a second, aware of what he did, and quickly detached from the boy to head to the emergency meeting. His face was bright pink as he mentally scolded himself for doing such a thing. It didn’t take long for him to go back to his calm self the closer he got to the meeting rooms. His mind wondering about this emergency. The guard opened the door.

Lord Death sat at the end of the table, along with a series of military officials he recognized, a few servants who had been hand selected to attend meetings like these.

“Father, what’s going on here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr](http://smolragebaby.tumblr.com/)   
>  [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/smolragebaby/)   
>  [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO6UK9RAfnwSHTEw0xWXz_Q)


	12. The Bargain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dialogue heavy.  
> 

The meeting room contained high level officials, most of whom Kid hardly remembered seeing any time growing up. They sat along the table in order of rank, Kid assumed, with some plates of food laid out evenly just in case any of them needed to eat in order to think. Despite their previous discussion, they quieted as the prince entered.

“Father, what is going on?” Kid asked, heading sit down in a chair at the opposite end of his father, concerned by the looks everyone was making.

“We received a letter earlier, written by Lady Medusa herself,” a general stated, holding up the document. The seal baring a snake was undoubtedly hers.

“You may want to read this.” Lord Death stayed quiet, deep in thought as the letter was taken by a maid and delivered to the prince. Cautious golden eyes scanned the paper.

_Lord Death,_  
_This war has lasted for ten long years. With each side making little progress in marking a permanent turn in the battle._  
_As we both have noticed, resources are waning thin and our soldiers are tired. Other countries have begun to pull away from the conflict, seeking to flourish while we destroy each other. This war has gone on long enough and for what purpose other than a territorial dispute._  
_I will agree to further negotiate with you and your commanders; however, I have one request._  
_This war has taken a lot of people from their loved ones, on both sides, from this world, and I was informed that my one and only child was taken by your forces. I do not know his condition so please, as one parent to another, return my child to me. Crona is all I have left after my sisters died many years ago, and I miss him dearly after these long months without his presence in the castle. His safe return would be the best outcome._  
_If he is returned, I will readily prepare to meet with you at the neutral territory of Andrana. They can provide the security and ensure this is peaceful and productive meeting ending a long, bloody war._

_Waiting on your response,_  
_Lady Medusa_

Kid’s hands shook. He did not want to believe this was real.

“You are not going to agree to this, are you? This war is entirely her fault to begin with.” Kid exclaimed, throwing the paper away from him.

“We do not have an option. If Andrana is aware, us not agreeing to a peace treaty negotiation will cause an uproar.” A decorated commander spoke up. Lord Death keeping quiet. More of the military leaders began to speak up

“If it means an end to this, we will send it back to her and begin to prepare to head towards Andrana.”

“But it is still a weapon. How can we assure she will not double cross us by using it to attack?”

“It is already a danger to be keeping around this palace with the royal family.”

“Yes, but it has not done anything yet. If it was truly with her, it would have used the opportunity to kill them.”

Their talking only become louder as arguments broke out left and right over a multitude of different topics, but still mainly about Crona. Sitting there in mild shock, Kid listened to innate ramblings over the current situation.

‘No.’ He looked down at the edge of the table

‘Shut Up.’ His breathing began to shake as the generals’ voice became boisterous.

‘He is not an it.’ Kid’s hands moved to his hair, hearing the punctuated sounds of ‘it’ in their words.

‘How can you give into her so easily?’ His eyes shifted focus, from his lap to his feet to the left wall.

‘Don’t send him back.’ All the recent memories of Crona flooded through his brain. The lilac boy’s soft, loving smile stuck the most out of all them. The arguments continued. Kid couldn’t understand how they were so willing to send him back to his tormenters all in the name of maintaining peace.

‘Father, please something’ He quickly looked up, towards his father who still had not voiced his opinion nor engaged in any form of conversation regarding this issue. Why wouldn’t he say anything? He was letting them all act like they ran the country. Further action only proved to provoke their prince.  
Kid quickly stood up. The chair falling behind him with a loud crash.

“None of you are thinking about this!” His voice rang through the meeting room, shocking those inside. Lord Death looked up towards his son. It was nearly impossible to read his expression. The military commanders all looked at each other before staring at the prince questioningly yet waiting to hear if he would continue.

“Crona has been here for a few months and I admit that at first I also was not comfortable with him being here after everything he had done. But, after seeing the progress Maka has been making, I began to realize that he is just as much of a victim as our citizens who have lost much from this war. He is shy, quiet, and friendly. He has never tried to hurt any of us during his time here and will always apologize for anything he thinks bothers us, which is many things.” Kid paused for a moment to breathe, smiling slightly as he thought of the younger prince.

“I am biased. I do not want him to leave and I do not watch you all make him leave. He has grown on me. I- I care about him, so seeing him scared because of her is not an option. If all Lady Medusa wants is to know he is alive then instead of sending him back at the soonest date, let him come with us to Andrana and he can decide for himself where he wants to go. It can be a part of the peace and so if something happens, she has no excuse to go back on the treaty. You all may not care about him, but I have personally seen his development and he does not deserve the harsh words and treatment you think he does.” His pleas towards the gathering faded. The longer the silence became, the more anxious Kid felt as a result. Were they angry? Did they listen to him? He was only a prince and still had much to learn.

After a few moments, one elder general stood up.

“This is more than your personal feelings. This is a matter of his life versus the lives of many others. We-”

“Quiet down.” Lord Death interrupted.

“But Lord Death, the Prince-”

“My son has made an interesting suggestion. Lady Medusa simply wants her son to be alive. We will not send him back, but bring him with us to the peace negotiations. Kid and Maka can stay with him while her majesty and I discuss the conditions of the peace treaty. I trust their judgements on his character and Doctor Stein has been keeping me well informed about his education. You should be thanking him for coming up with compromise on this situation.” Kid felt the release from his shoulders as he heard his father’s praise of his thoughts. The old general begrudgingly gave up attempting to argue and the other officials settled now that Lord Death made his official stance.

“Kid since this is your suggestion, I would like if you joined me in replying to her letter. We will hand her letter and our reply over to the Andranian ambassador, so that he can look over and begin working on preparations for the peace talks. That is the end of discussion on that.” They looked towards each other, agreeing to their Lord regardless of how they personally felt about the situation. Soon, they began to filter out of the room while the maids cleaned up. Kid was to follow before being called over by his father.

“I am proud that you took a stance. They seemed to not be making any progress with coming to any decisions even before you came.” He set a hand on Kid’s head, ruffling his hair lightly.

“You should have something to eat and sleep if you’re going to be helping me with diplomacy.” Getting up to leave, he turned to his son.

“Oh, and Kid. While I would rather you keep this meeting a secret, but if you wish to tell Crona or Maka about the agreement then I will trust your decision.”

“Father, wait. I have something else I need to say to you.” He went up to him, keeping out ear shot of the other workers.

“Crona believes we might have spies in the castle. I want to personally take over Crona’s security and well-being. If that is possible.” Kid didn’t believe he was asking for a lot.

“I already know of the spy problem. I’ve been sorting through files with the main maid and butler. As for Crona’s security…” He paused, taking in the expression on his adult son’s face.

“I leave his protection to you since you seem so adamant.” Kid nodded at his statement, mind racing at his father’s approval. Lord Death chuckled a bit before leaving, closing the door behind him.

Kid stared before sinking to his knees with a deep sigh of relief before a surge of excitement hit him.

‘This means Crona can stay.’ He bounced to his feet, rushing out the door.

‘He can stay. He can stay here. With Maka and with me. I can care for him. I can help him.’ His feet swiftly carried him down the hall.

‘I’ll need to prepare. As much as he is loud, Blackstar would probably be better pick for security. I trust him more than the others and if Tsubaki is there it should be fine. I’ll need to talk to the Stein and Maka about this too and maybe the head chef too in order to make sure Crona can have better meals to help his weight and immune system.’ He began to slow as he thought of all the things that were involved in taking care of the other.

‘He may need clothes of his own, maybe a haircut. Maybe move him to a different room that has some better lighting. Possibly near my room or with a view of the garden.’ Stopping, he carefully thought. ‘There is a lot to work out. I can plan this tomorrow.’ Looking up, he noticed his surroundings. The hall was very familiar and it only took him a few moments to realize that he had taken himself back towards Crona’s room.

‘I should check on him…’

Kid walked the extra feet to get to the room, quietly opening the door as he believed Crona to be asleep. The soft breathing of the lilac haired teen were the only sounds in the room. Silently walking over, he sat back down in the chair. Lifting his hand to Crona’s forehead, he checked his temperature. Luckily, he has still not developed a fever. Moving his hand, he checked his pulse which also seemed to be normal again.

Crona moved slightly, opening his eyes a bit to see the 18-year-old sitting there.

“Kid…? You’re back. I must have dozed off.” He smiled a little, happy the other kept his promise.

“That is fine. You needed rest. I brought news. It is about your mother. If you don’t want me to talk about it, I won’t to.” Crona stared at him, contemplating.

“W-What news?” He hesitated.

“She attempted to contact to us, saying she would agree to a peace talk if we returned you to her.” He noticed how Crona shifted to sit up.

“Y-you’re not making me leave are you.” The terror laced his words.

“No. Absolutely not. It was agreed that you will stay, but you must come with me and my father to Andrana for negotiations. I’m sorry that you will be around her, but we are going to work to ensure that you get to pick where you wish to live. If that is with me or somewhere far away by the ocean, it is your choice.” Kid reached out to hold his hand.

“I will make sure you are safe the entire time, while you’re here, in Andrana, and where ever you choose to go.” The smile that greeted Crona’s worry eased him. He looked down, a few tears falling down his face.

“I’m sorry… y- you have to go through this trouble because of me.” Kid’s free hand wiped away the tears.

“You do not need to be sorry. I would rather go through this than see you suffering because of what you have gone through due to your mother’s actions.”

“I’m sor-” A finger was place in front of his mouth. Crona blushed a bit.

“You and I both need to rest. Would you still like me to stay here with you?” The other nodded.

“Then I will.” He got up to move, climbing into bed with the other.

“Is this okay with you?” He asked.

“Y-yeah.” Hearing the confirmation, Kid lifted the blankets and got tucked in. Turning towards Crona, he gently pulled him over into a hug.

“Are you still okay?” He questioned, not wanting to make Crona overwhelmed or uncomfortable.

“Y-yes. B-but… is this really… I mean… earlier I thought you didn’t like being that close, but now.” Pink dusted his face.

“I thought I startled you so I left for the meeting. I will always make sure you’re comfortable before I do anything.” He felt thin arms wrap around him and the younger’s face bury itself just above his shoulder. He mumbled something and Kid smiled softly, moving his fingers through the lilac hair.

“Sleep well.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr](http://smolragebaby.tumblr.com/)   
>  [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/smolragebaby/)   
>  [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO6UK9RAfnwSHTEw0xWXz_Q)


End file.
